About 1.6M drop-outs from health law coverage this year

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Obama administration says about 1.6 million people who signed up for coverage this year under the president's health care law had dropped out by the end of March.

The 2016 sign-up season ended January 31 with about 12.7 million people initially signed up for private insurance through the health law's markets. But not all had sealed the deal by paying their premiums.

The latest number of 11.1 million people represents a loss of nearly 13 percent of those initially enrolled. Most customers receive government subsidies to help pay their premiums.

The Department of Health and Human Services says a retention rate of 87 percent is respectable and in line with the administration's goal of about 10 million still signed up at the end of this year.