The federal agency reported that 18,500 Mississippians have registered since open enrollment started Nov. 1. Last year, 16,515 Mississippians enrolled in the program, an increase of almost 2,000 customers. This increase is also reflected in the national numbers. This increase is also reflected in national numbers as of Nov. 26. There were 2.1 million Americans who had signed up for federal exchange coverage, an increase of 97.287 over the four weeks of enrollment in 2015. Sylvia Burwell, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, stated that people all over the country are telling her how important coverage is to them. It is not clear what coverage will be provided by the Trump administration. Trump won on his promises to repeal the Affordable Care Act. In recent weeks, he has supported certain provisions of the law. These include exceptions that allow children to remain on their parents’ plans until 26 years old and require insurance companies to cover people with pre-existing conditions. Trump named U.S. Rep. Tom Price (R-Georgia), his choice for Health and Human Services secretary. Price is a vocal critic of the Affordable Care Act. Price has been at center of efforts by Congress to repeal the Affordable Health Care Act. Price has previously presented a replacement plan for health care that would favor age-based tax credits, which people could use to purchase private insurance. Coverage for 2017 will not be affected by any changes. For coverage that begins Jan. 1, interested consumers should sign up for the Affordable Care Act before December 15.