TRAIN WRECK UPDATE: Pace of ObamaCare Signups Is Slowing in February.

Last year, before the law’s exchanges had opened, an HHS memo had projected about 200,000 more individuals would sign up in the month than in January. That memo estimated nearly 1.3 million sign-ups in February — or nearly 600,000 more than HHS claims have signed up thus far.

The open enrollment period for health insurance extends through the end of March, and the administration is hoping for a late surge in sign-ups, especially among young and healthy individuals. Before the botched rollout of the law’s exchanges, the administration had defined success as 7 million total sign-ups.

The HHS numbers include only those who have selected a plan through one of the exchanges, rather than the number who have paid — which is typically how insurers measure enrollment.

So even the phony “shopping cart” numbers are below the target.