Claire Hughes is reporting for the Times Union health insurance enrollment by way of New York’s online exchange this year was the highest since the website was launched four years ago. Before the enrollment season ended January 31, approximately 4.3 million New Yorkers signed up for health insurance through NY State of Health, an increase of 700,000 over last year. The majority of people who acquired health insurance through the exchange were eligible for Medicaid, the government-sponsored program for low-income Americans, while an additional 740,000 people enrolled in the Essential Plan, a subsidized option that offers health insurance to those who earn just above the income limit allowed by Medicaid. The online marketplace was established four years ago to meet the requirements of the federal Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare. Read the full story in the Times Union.