WASHINGTON — More than 6 million Americans have signed up for private coverage on the nation's health insurance marketplaces, surpassing the Congressional Budget Office estimate for first-year enrollment under the Affordable Care Act.

President Barack Obama announced the coverage milestone during a conference call from Rome, where he met Thursday with Pope Francis, with thousands of health care “navigators” and volunteers whose nationwide grassroots efforts helped inform people about the new marketplaces and the controversial health law that led to their creation.

The enrollment totals are a hard-earned victory for the president, the Department of Health and Human Services and supporters of his signature legislative accomplishment. The CBO originally expected 7 million people to sign up for coverage, but it downsized its estimate after technical problems marred the debut of the federal marketplace, HealthCare.gov, which serves 36 states.

The administration also had to overcome a lack of federal funding to publicize the signup effort and fierce political opposition from congressional and state Republicans.

WASHINGTON — Legislation to give doctors a yearlong reprieve from a looming 24 percent cut in their payments from Medicare overcame turbulence in the House on Thursday and appears on track to clear the Senate next week, possibly just hours before a Monday midnight deadline.The bill passed the House Thursday on a surprise voice vote after an hourlong delay signaled GOP leaders were having difficulty mustering the two-thirds vote to pass the bill under fast-track procedures. Prominent Democrats withheld support, as did a host of rank and file Republicans, which led top leaders in both parties to call off a roll-call vote and ease the measure through with a wink and a nod.The vote was engineered by Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., with cooperation from top Democrats, particularly Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California.Hopes for a Senate vote on Thursday faded and were replaced with a plan to vote late Monday afternoon.The measure represents the 17th time Congress has stepped in with a temporary fix to a poorly designed Medicare fee formula that dates to a 1997 budget law.