The campaign, set to begin Wednesday, will focus on young adults and try to encourage people to sign up for government-backed private health insurance because of subsidies available to cushion the impact of rising premiums.

A total of more than 1 million people have enrolled since Oct. 1, a jump from Nov. 30 when just 365,000 had signed up for private insurance in the new federal and state markets offering subsidized coverage.

The board of America's Health Insurance Plans said consumers who select a plan by Dec. 23 will now have until Jan. 10 to pay their first month's premium

Americans with coverage and who aren't looking for any more government help are blaming the law for their rising premiums and deductibles.

The Obama administration Thursday announced a batch of measures intended to help consumers avoid lapses in their care and coverage as the president's overhaul takes effect in January.

Health website woes force extension for sickest.

Enrollment statistics from the Health and Human Services Department showed that 364,682 people have signed up for private coverage as of Nov. 30.

Two months in and out of the repair shop have left significantly less time to fulfill the White House goal of enrolling 7 million people by the end of open enrollment on March 31.