The enrollment deadline has come and gone, and President Barack Obama can breathe a sigh of relief.

Enrollees for the Affordable Care Act surpassed the seven million mark, a goal set by the Congressional Budget Office before the online healthcare marketplaces opened Oct. 1 of last year. Numbers were since revised to meet only six million enrollees, but former Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius reported Thursday, April 10 that the White House exceeded its target and numbers are still growing after last-minute sign ups.

It is uncertain as to how many of the seven million enrollees fall into the 18 to 34-year-old bracket — a bracket Obama spent the final days of the enrollment period trying to reach. Federal reports on March 1 indicated roughly 32 percent of the current enrollees were under the age of 34, according to Forbes.

Who cares if young Americans sign up for the Affordable Care Act?

Obama pushed a huge campaign to reach those under the age of 34 in the days leading up to the March 31 sign-up deadline. He tied healthcare sign-ups into March Madness, appeared on various talk shows and made a guest appearance on Zach Galifianakis’ “Between Two Ferns” Internet comedy series.

The drive for younger enrollees stems from early projections indicating a need for roughly 40 percent of people younger than 34 years old to enroll in healthcare plans to subsidize costs and keep premiums low-cost in upcoming years, reports from the White House show.

“I think for college students especially (healthcare) is more of a positive than a negative,” said graduate student Hannah Garmon. “I think people aren’t utilizing that resource because of religious ideology or fear of being looked down on for (using) a government subsidiary.”

What about staying on my parents’ insurance until I’m 26 years old?

Students have the option to stay on their parents’ health insurance plans until they are 26 years old. Some, though, have to find other means of insurance or run the risk of staying uninsured.

Garmon, who turned 26 earlier this year, said she and her husband knew they would need to look into other healthcare options.

“It was something we just immediately looked into,” she said. “My husband’s individual Blue plan was going to go upeach month and we couldn’t afford it as students.”

Garmon and her husband are both graduate students, and since enrolling for their healthcare plan she said they have not had any problems.

“I’ve been hospitalized since we enrolled, but we haven’t had any problems at all,” she said. “It’s actually better than the healthcare I had under my parents and (my husband’s) individual Blue plan. We’ve saved money.”

Isn’t health insurance expensive?

Health insurance can be expensive, depending on what plan students choose to meet their individual needs. The government’s online marketplace — HealthCare.gov — is set up to help Americans choose plans and enroll in health insurance.

There are different types of plans, including catastrophic health plans for those under the age of 30. According to HealthCare.gov, these plans usually have lower monthly premiums but higher deductibles for subscribers and cover up to three primary care visits per year.

Senior Mitch Wright said he spent a lot of time reading over the numbers and different plans available to him before choosing an option.

“There were about six different policies I could choose from,” he said. “It wasn’t a simple process, but it wasn’t hard either. I had to call for assistance a couple of times, but the plan I ended up choosing is cheaper than the one they were going to automatically roll me over to.”

What used to be a $300-per-month premium has dropped to $117, Wright said. He has been pleased with his coverage so far, which went into effect Jan. 1 of this year.

“The only downfall was choosing a doctor,” he said. “Some weren’t accepting new patients so I had to go through the list to find someone.”

Can I still sign up for healthcare?

The enrollment marketplaces have officially closed for the time being. March 31 was the final day to sign up for a healthcare plan, unless someone is approved for special circumstances.

The marketplaces will reopen for enrollment Nov. 15 of this year, according to White House reports.

“I’ve heard a lot of horror stories about healthcare, but I would encourage other college students to look into Obamacare,” Wright said.

Garmon agrees and said she hopes more people take the time to learn about the new healthcare plans.

“I hope more people see it’s not all bad,” she said.