The third open enrollment period for qualified (private) health plans (QHP) under the Affordable Care Act began on Nov. 1. Today the Washington Health Benefit Exchange released the first batch of enrollment numbers.

Between Nov. 1 and Dec. 1, 123,209 plans were selected. Of those, 10,952 were new enrollees and 112,257 were renewals. According to the Exchange, of the renewals, "more than 84,000" were automatic.

The number of plans selected through the first month of the current enrollment period represents an increase from the first month total during  open enrollment last year. This increase is due in large part to an easier auto-renewal process  that allows renewing customers to maintain their existing coverage going into 2016.

The chart below shows total QHP enrollments from each enrollment report. The first open enrollment period (Oct. 1, 2013 through March 31, 2014) ended with 164,062 QHP enrollees. The first report from the second enrollment period showed 55,925 enrollees, and the second enrollment period ended with 170,101. (The second open enrollment period ran from Nov. 15, 2014 through Feb. 15, 2015. A special enrollment period for people who perhaps didn't realize they were subject to a tax penalty if they didn't have insurance ran from Feb. 17, 2015 to April 17, 2015.)

It's important to note that today's enrollment numbers are possibly less reliable than in previous reports. The Exchange used to collect payment for the plans itself, so the data it reported was for paid enrollments. Now that the insurance companies are handling that, the data reported is for plans "selected." Some number of people who select a plan may not end up actually paying for it.

The Exchange's goal for enrollment by the end of the open enrollment period (Jan. 31, 2016) is about 160,000.