As states gear up to develop health insurance exchanges, a new study suggests that more consumers are venturing online to enroll in health plans.

DestinationRx, a Los Angeles-based company that provides Medicare plan comparison and enrollment technology, conducted the analysis and found a 23 percent shift from call center to online enrollments from 2008 to 2010.

The company studied its commercial enrollments to determine the extent of the online shift. Those enrollments include consumers signing up for plans through DestinationRx Web sites licensed by clients -- heath plans for example -- as well as enrollments going through the company's broker and call center tools.

Also included are enrollments in which DestinationRx acted as an online broker, according to a company spokeswoman.

Consumer interest in online enrollment dovetails with states' plans to let individuals and small businesses shop for health plans through a Web portal, according to the study released Sept. 15.

Under the healthcare reform law, states have until Jan. 1, 2014 to create such health insurance exchanges. The task will require states to upgrade or supplement back-end systems that provide eligibility determination, provide a means for income verification, and develop interfaces to private insurance providers.