BOSTON --Efforts to sign up an estimated 160,000 uninsured Massachusetts residents who are not eligible for subsidized health care plans is off to a slow start, but officials say they're hopeful interest will spike as a July 1 deadline looms.

Officials overseeing the state's landmark health care law say they are enrolling about 100 people a week through a recently launched Web site that lets the uninsured compare the costs and benefits of different health plans -- and then sign up for the one they choose.

They said they anticipated a slow start, but also acknowledge that they'll have to pick up the pace dramatically. Under Massachusetts' health care law, everyone is required to have health insurance by July 1.

To help jump start enrollments, the state is in the midst of a $3 million public education campaign, including the new Web site and a series of television ads.

The state is also flooding the mailboxes of 3.3 million Massachusetts taxpayers and 193,000 businesses with postcards outlining the law.

The state is making better headway signing up those earning less than three times the federal poverty level -- $30,630 for an individual and $61,950 for a family of four -- who are eligible for state-subsidized health plans.

Enrollment in the subsidized programs, known as Commonwealth Care, spiked to more than 79,000 as of June 1. This marks an increase of 10,000, or 15 percent, over the previous month, according the Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority, which oversees the law.

"The message that there are new opportunities to get high-quality, affordable health insurance is clearly getting out," said Leslie Kirwan, secretary of Administration and Finance and chairwoman of the Health Connector Board.

While the enrollment in non-state-subsidized plans is still sluggish, officials point out that the number of people viewing the health care Web site is on the rise, from an average of 7,464 visits a day in April to 17,078 now.

That indicates people are educating themselves about the law and their options before making a final decision about which plan to choose, officials said.

"People are becoming more aware of the wide range of affordable choices they have," said Health Connector Executive Director Jon Kingsdale.

The Web site lets consumers compare premiums, co-pays, and deductibles and maximum out-of-pocket expenses for plans offered by six health insurance carriers: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Fallon Community Health Plan, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Health New England, Neighborhood Health Plan and Tufts Health Plan.

Marylou Buyse, president of the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans, said insurers are also expecting the pace of enrollment to pick up.

Buyse pointed to a flood of advertising, not only from the state, but also from insurers touting their lower cost health plans.

"All of the ads will create a buzz in the marketplace and more and more people will become aware of the need to get health insurance and the attractive pricing of the new health care products," she said.

Officials said that although the law requires everyone be insured by July 1, as long as they have insurance by December, they won't face a penalty when they file their tax returns next April.

December 31 is the deadline the Department of Revenue will use to determine if people have met the requirements of the law. Anyone wishing to have insurance in December and avoid a penalty will have to sign up by Nov. 28, officials said.

Those who are still uninsured will face the loss of their personal exemption, worth $219 for an individual. Penalties will increase the following year.

The law made an exception from the penalty if there is no affordable plan available. An estimated 60,000 people are expected to be exempted from the penalty, most of them workers who aren't earning enough to cover the premiums of health plans offered by their employers.

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By Steve LeBlanc, Associated Press Writer

June 4, 2007