Just over 1 million Texans had signed up on the federal health insurance exchange as of last Saturday, signaling a steady drumbeat of interest and giving local advocates a chance for some celebration.

"I will take it," Ken Janda, president and CEO of Community Health Choice, a Houston-based nonprofit health plan offering insurance plans through the Affordable Care Act's federal marketplace, said Tuesday when he heard the numbers.

The 1,040,246 Texas enrollees included those signing up for the first time and people renewing existing coverage, according to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services statistics released Tuesday.

Nationally, 8.2 million had signed up as of last week, topping last year's numbers for the same time period by about 2 million, the agency announced.

"We have never seen this level of activity," HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell said during a conference call with reporters and community groups across the country. Calling the demand "unprecedented," she added: "This is what we wanted to see."

In fact, interest was so strong during the first seven weeks, officials last week extended a Dec. 15 deadline for 48 hours to handle the crush of last-minute callers and on-line shoppers. Burwell said calls were coming in just before the Dec. 15 cut-off at a rate of 11 per second. That deadline was originally set to guarantee Jan. 1 coverage but was extended until Dec. 17.

Janda said his organization similarly saw a surge just before the deadline. He also noticed that for the coming year, more people were changing plans as they looked for better rates and better coverage.

While state numbers have not yet been broken down, nationally Burwell said there are about a third more first-timers compared to last year. There are also more than 2 million young adult enrollees under age 35.

That has always been an elusive - but critically important - demographic for the law to succeed as younger, healthier people in the risk pool help balance those with greater medical needs. While supporters say it is too early to make definitive declarations about 2016, the numbers could show that some of those previously reluctant to sign up for insurance may be having a change of heart.

"We are certainly hopeful. In Texas the demand we see shows that people have seen the benefit of getting covered," Rachel Shumaker, the Texas communication director for Enroll America, said Tuesday.

The spotlight has long shined hot and bright on Texas as it continues to lead the nation in both the number and rate of un-insured. There has also been strong political pushback against the White House from Texas Republican leaders like Rep. Kevin Brady of The Woodlands, who has said he remains firmly committed to repealing the law. And in Austin, former Gov. Rick Perry and current Gov. Greg Abbott have been steadfast in their refusal to expand Medicaid, calling it a bloated and broken system.

The expansion of Medicaid is a pillar of the ACA as it would provide coverage for the poor and near poor who did not qualify for the federal subsidies that lower premium costs for plans bought on the exchanges. By some estimates, a quarter of the low-income people in this country without insurance live in Texas, or about 1 million.

Additionally, the refusal could be leaving as much as $100 billion on the table over the next decade since under the law the federal government has pledged to pay all or most of the expansion costs.

Burwell has made numerous whistle-stop visits to the state since just before enrollment began Nov. 1 to help rally outreach efforts.

During Tuesday's call, she promised "not to take our foot off the gas pedal."

"This is good for Texans," Janda said of the enrollment progress. "Despite all the rhetoric you hear about the Affordable Care Act, it's actually working."

Although the first deadline has now passed for Jan. 1 coverage, those who sign up between now and Jan. 15 will be insured as of Feb. 1.

For coverage beginning March 1, people will need to sign up between Jan. 15 and the end of the enrollment period on Jan. 31.