TOPEKA ? A new report says more Kansas residents than the federal government had anticipated selected health insurance coverage through an online marketplace.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported Thursday that 57,000 Kansas residents signed up for coverage through April 19. HHS had predicted before the marketplace opened in October that 53,000 Kansas residents would find insurance.

Republicans critical of the federal health overhaul control Kansas state government and kept the state from setting up its own marketplace or partnering with HHS.

Sign-ups had been running behind expectations through February, following the marketplace’s rocky rollout. But the HHS figures indicate that nearly 28,000 people obtained coverage starting in March.

But the HHS report did not say how many of those 57,000 people had paid premiums.