(AP) — A new federal report says nearly 43,000 Nebraskans signed up for health insurance in the six months since the federal marketplace was launched.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported Thursday that 42,975 Nebraskans enrolled between Oct. 1 and March 31. An estimated 74,606 people in Nebraska were deemed eligible to enroll.

Nationally, more than 8 million people signed up by the end of the first national enrollment period. That includes 5.4 million who signed up through the federal marketplace. Another 2.6 million enrolled through state plans.

Nebraska is among 36 states relying on the federal website to enroll residents in the health marketplace, which is part of the federal health care law.