Thousand Sign Up Through the States Health Exchange

Nearly 25,000 residents in Washington state have signed up for insurancesince open enrollment started earlier this month for the state's new health exchange.

Officials with the Washington Health Benefit Exchange said Monday that more than 3,000 of enrollments were for health plans certified by the state, and the remaining were those enrolling for Medicaid coverage.

An additional 37,000 residents have completed online applications that are awaiting payment that is due in December.

Washington residents have six months to buy health insurancethrough the new exchange during the first enrollment period ending in March.

The state estimates about 1 million Washington state residents do not have health insurance, or about one in seven people.