In a report this week, the New York Times, citing health industry insiders, says that 20 percent of enrollees in health insurance policies on the state and federal marketplaces have failed to make their premium payments.

In an earlier report, cable broadcaster CNN also claimed 20 percent had failed to honor their premiums.

For its part, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) says it lacks access to payment histories because the enrollees must pay the insurance companies directly.

If either or both reports are correct, then the 3.3 million enrollee figured released this week by HHS can be effectively reduced by 660,000 to 2.64 million.