HARRISBURG — The number of Pennsylvanians signing up for insurance under the 2010 federal health care law surged after February and soundly beat the government’s expectations for the state, according to figures released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The report, which showed figures for all states through March 31, included people who finished their enrollment process in April after starting it in March.

The department said that about 318,000 Pennsylvanians had signed up for coverage through the federally run online insurance marketplace, doubling the total of nearly 160,000 from the end of February.

The health insurance plans were accessible to Pennsylvanians through the gateway website Healthcare.gov, and people with low to moderate incomes were eligible for a tax credit to help subsidize the cost of the insurance.

About four in five Pennsylvanians who signed up received the taxpayer-subsidized help, the department said.