My must read of the day is "Obamacare sign-ups on track to hit 7 million on final day," on CNBC.com:
Beating expectations, President Barack Obama's health care overhaul was on track to sign up more than 7 million Americans for health insurance on deadline day Monday, government officials told the Associated Press.
The 7 million target, thought to be out of reach by most experts, was in sight on a day that saw surging consumer interest as well as vexing computer glitches that slowed sign-ups on the HealthCare.gov website.
I don't believe the administration is "cooking the books," as Sen. John Barrasso (R., Wyo.) claimed this past Sunday. But the line I often give still rings true: We don't have enough information.
We do not know how many of these 7 million have made their first payment.
We don't know the demographic breakdown of the enrollees.
We don't know how many of the enrollees were previously uninsured.
All of that is vital information, and it is much more significant when it comes to measuring the progress of the law and the success of the first open enrollment.
Young adults previously made up 27 percent of enrollment. If they don’t make up a significant portion of the latest "surge" it will not be a good sign for the risk pool or future premiums. That’s the number I’ll be watching the most—not for the overall percentage, but the state-by-state percentages.