By McClatchy Newspapers

Published: 9:53 PM - 04/17/14 Last updated: 9:54 PM - 04/17/14

WASHINGTON Driven by a last-minute flood of enrollments, particularly in California, sign-ups for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act's online marketplaces hit 8 million, President Barack Obama announced Thursday.

The total exceeded the initial forecast by 1 million people and capped a notable comeback after a disastrous debut last fall gave rise to predictions the law would collapse in its maiden year.

The health law, often called Obamacare, instead has brought about the largest increase in insurance coverage in the United States in the half a century since Medicare and Medicaid were created.

This thing is working, Obama said from the White House briefing room.

He took repeated jabs at his Republican critics who continue to pledge to roll back the law, showing a new willingness to go on the political offensive on the subject.

The repeal debate is, and should be, over, he declared. We've been having a political fight about this for five years. We need to move on to something else.

The final surge of enrollments came heavily from California, which signed up more than 200,000 consumers in the last two weeks, state officials said Thursday. Those late arrivals brought the state's total to nearly 1.4 million people, far ahead of all other states.

Although the numbers will continue to fluctuate throughout the year as some people obtain insurance and others drop it, Thursday's announcement marked a significant milestone as the first open enrollment period ended for most people.

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Health care enrollments reach 8 million, president announces