Dec. 03--Last month, nearly 445,000 Florida residents selected insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act for coverage in 2016, according to federal government.
Florida has the highest number of people signing up for coverage among the 38 states using the federal marketplace for plan options, followed by Texas with 225,000 people making choices. North Carolina is third with 140,000 sign ups, according to CMS.
All told, more than two million people have selected coverage through the www.healthcare.gov website during November. In the fourth week of November alone, 395,000 choose coverage. Open enrollment for coverage in 2016 ends Jan. 31.
Florida residents are getting smarter about health insurance and their needs, said Jodi Ray, Florida's project director for enrollment.
"The consumer is more informed about what this is," Ray, with the University of South Florida in Tampa, said. "We are finding that a lot of consumers are coming in for appointments who have already created (sign up) accounts."
Ray said her 150 counselors statewide are striving to reach more needy people.
They have had appointments or contacts with 45,000 vulnerable residents, with more young people and with people infected with HIV, she said.
"About 30 percent of the people we have assisted so far are among the Latino population," she said during a media call Wednesday. The call was hosted by the national consumers' group, Families USA, based in Washington, D.C.
About 20 percent of the Florida residents meeting with counselors are people who are re-enrolling and 80 percent are new enrollees, she said. Last year, nearly 1.6 million Floridians gained insurance coverage under the law, also known as Obamacare.
Her counselors, also known as navigators, are meeting with people individually and holding group sign-up events. What's critical for them is to inform people that the penalty for not being insured goes up in 2016 to 2.5 percent of family income or $695 for an individual. For a family, the maximum penalty is $2,085 for not being covered. The penalty is levied when people file their income tax returns.
"We don't want people to pay the penalty (and get) nothing for that," Ray said. "For that amount, you could get six to eight months of coverage."
Jessica Kendall, director of enrollment assistance with Families USA, said consumers need to shop around on the marketplace website, adding that meeting with a counselor can be a big help.
A survey by Kaiser Family Foundation last year found that 71 percent of consumers said the help of counselors was important, she said.
For this current year in Southwest Florida, more than 23,000 residents in Collier and nearly 42,000 residents in Lee County are enrolled in plans. In the two counties, only Florida Blue and United Healthcare are offering coverage, but with two dozen or more coverage options.
Premiums next year in Florida will increase by an average of 9.5 percent for individuals with plans on their own and for people who purchase coverage through the federal marketplace, the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation said in August.
For assistance in Southwest Florida, consumers can schedule a free appointment online with a counselor at www.EnrollSWFA.co or call 10866-547-2793.
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