Barack Obama's healthcare programme

People wait in line at an enrolment event in California - the state has signed up more than one million people for health coverage

Americans are rushing to sign up for health insurance under President Barack Obama's signature healthcare programme, as a key enrolment deadline looms.

Monday is the last day for most Americans to sign up for coverage or face a penalty next year.
More than six million have signed up for plans through the Affordable Care Act's insurance marketplaces.
But conservatives are expected to tap into discontent with the law in November's midterm elections.
The elections will determine the shape of Congress for Mr Obama's last two years in office.
'Software bug'

What do Americans think of Obamacare today?

The health law has been vigorously opposed by the Republican Party and by conservatives in the private sector who see it as an inappropriate government intrusion into the massive healthcare industry and an affront to personal liberty.
The law also remains controversial among the American public, as some people have seen their insurance costs rise or their old plans cancelled, and others object to having to purchase insurance at all.
Healthcare.gov and similar marketplace websites run by some states are a key element of the Affordable Care Act, providing a clearinghouse for people to purchase health insurance for themselves and their families, often with generous subsidies.
Those who are not covered by private insurance or government programmes by the end of Monday will face a tax penalty, although the Obama administration has extended a grace period for those who can prove they have had technical issues with the site.

Major technical glitches during the site's October launch led the White House to revise its sign-up goal from seven million to six million

Total enrolment through the federal and state-run websites has jumped since the beginning of March, from 4.2 million to six million on Friday.
That surpasses the Obama administration's revised enrolment goal, although in October the White House said it hoped to sign up seven million by April.
The site, which was receiving 1.5 million visitors a day last week, received about two million a day at the weekend.