As a new Affordable Care Act (ACA) enrollment season begins this week, South Florida insurance brokers face an uphill battle keeping local enrollment high and gaining the last but significant percent of the region’s uninsured.
South Florida previously signed up the most individuals out of any other major metro area among states using the federal HealthCare.gov marketplace. But the area also has one of the largest estimated number of ACA qualified persons still uninsured
One challenge, says local broker Janice Brooks, is this year’s higher premiums. The top-tier plans have risen by some 9.5 percent, while lower-tier plans with fewer benefits and higher deductibles rose by 2 percent.
Fellow broker Linvale Deer also points to the “rampant lack of understanding especially among the migrant community, including Caribbean people, of how healthcare insurance works. Some people have no idea what’s a deductible and the need supplement the cost for some medical visits even with insurance. And several people refuse to purchase insurance because they claim the deductible is too high, and they don’t believe they should pay for treatment out of their pockets if they have insurance.”
Jodi Ray, state director of Covering Florida Kids and Families, says this year “will focus on populations unfamiliar with the law. This includes legal residents with language barriers, and those living in rural areas.”
“The best way to ensure ACA enrollees actually purchase insurance is to ensure they understand the importance of insurance and how it works,” says Ray.
Several local libraries have been instructed to assist Florida residents to enroll for Obamacare.
Brooks caution those who are qualified for health insurance but refuse to sign up that the penalty will increases from $325 to $695 in 2016. Persons must also enroll by December 31 on the marketplace to obtain coverage for 2016.
