JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A state health department official says that since the state expanded Medicaid to cover more lower-income Alaskans on Sept. 1, about 7,700 people have enrolled.

Chris Ashenbrenner is the Medicaid program coordinator for the state health department.

The department had estimated that nearly 20,100 newly eligible Alaskans would enroll during the first year of expansion, and Ashenbrenner believes that enrollment is on track for that.

She says enrollment in the first half of the year may be more robust because of pent-up demand for health care.

She says open enrollment periods through the federally facilitated health insurance marketplace also bring in a lot of new Medicaid applications because the system can make a Medicaid-eligibility determination or refer cases to the state for a determination.