By ALEX SMITH
Thousands of Kansans and Missourians signed up for insurance on the federal exchange last week, though the pace has slowed since the first several robust weeks of the second Affordable Care Act open enrollment period.

New figures released Wednesday by the Department of Health and Human Services show that during the week ending Jan. 16, 11,797 new or renewing enrollees in Missouri brought the state total to 209,336.

The total in Kansas reached 80,064 with the addition of 4,228 signing up.

In both states, last week’s numbers are roughly half the average weekly enrollment for the first eight weeks, which started on Nov. 15.

More than 400,000 were added to the national total last week, which does not include enrollment in states that run their own insurance marketplaces.

Alex Smith is a reporter for Heartland Health Monitor, a news collaboration focusing on health issues and their impact in Missouri and Kansas.