North Carolina's governor is asking the federal government to extend the enrollment period for Affordable Care Act insurance.

The state is among 39 served by the federal HealthCare.gov website, and the deadline for signups on the site is Friday. Most states that run their own health insurance websites have later deadlines.

Gov. Roy Cooper sent a letter this week to the federal Department of Health and Human Services saying a one-week extension until Dec. 22 would benefit people around the country.

The Democratic governor said North Carolina has the third-highest enrollment on the federal marketplace, but he fears enrollment could be hurt by a shorter signup period this year.

More than 500,000 North Carolina residents signed up on the site last year. Cooper said about 210,000 had enrolled for 2018 by Dec. 2.