Florida Tops Nation in Obamacare Signups
Posted January 19, 2015 06:45 am
MIAMI,
FL – Since the latest enrollment period began in
November, nearly 1.2 million Floridians have signed up
for health insurance plans through the Affordable Care
Act or "Obamacare." Florida's numbers are the largest of
any of the 37 states using federally-run health
exchanges.
But there's a catch, according to Monica Rodrigues-Smith, Latino communications director with the South Florida chapter of Enroll America, a nonprofit that's leading efforts to get people insured. She says research shows Latinos are more likely than other ethnic groups to be uninsured, because of language barriers, misinformation and concerns about cost.
"The Latino community is one of the largest groups in
America to go without healthcare coverage," says
Rodrigues-Smith. "We will continue to go out into the
Latino community and let them know we do have
Spanish-speaking representatives to help them through
the process and that financial assistance is available."
Nationally, some progress is being made. The U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services reports 2.6
million Hispanic Americans between ages 18 and 64 have
signed up for Obamacare in the past year alone.
Rodrigues-Smith points out there are plenty more people
who don't have health insurance with less than a month
left to sign up.
"It's great news that nearly 1.2 million Floridians have
accessed quality, affordable care," she says. "However,
there are still hundreds of thousands of Floridians that
need access to affordable, quality care."
She says Enroll America will ramp up its efforts,
particularly in the Latino community, before the current
enrollment period ends on Feb. 15.
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