The White House says it expects to release the number of enrollees in the Affordable Care Act in mid-November, as Republicans -- and some news outlets -- have blasted the glitchy rollout of its computer program.
Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters the program was "more than a website" and that people were signing up across the country.
"Although the glitches are unacceptable, so is the idea of leaving millions of Americans on their own, including families across the country who now have access to health care that they did not have two weeks ago," Carney said.
He noted a report out of Delaware in which a small-business owner found a plan that cost her $150 less than the cost of her previous plan.
"These are just stories that reflect that despite the glitches that we acknowledge and that absolutely must be fixed, people are getting on and enrolling," Carney said. "They are finding an enormous array of options available to them that weren't available to them in the past."
He said the volume of interest "continues," with 560,000 calls placed to the marketplace call center.
He said the administration will release enrollment figures monthly and expects the first to come out in mid-November.
The White House late Wednesday amended Carney's daily briefing with the note that Healthcare.gov has had 17 million unique visitors since October 1st.