In Texas, Enrollment Push Lags
Although the number of uninsured is high in the Lone Star State, concerns about cost and opposition to the law have stymied efforts to get people to sign up for policies on the online marketplace.
The Associated Press: Texas Makes Final Push For Insurance Enrollment
As a March 31 deadline draws near, [difficulties signing up the uninsured] is a daily reality in Texas, where nearly 1 in 4 residents is uninsured, the highest rate in the nation. Texas stands out among the nation's four most populous states for lagging behind on signups. California, New York and Florida have signed up far more people (Plushnick-Masti, 3/17).
Texas Tribune: In Texas, A Push To Get Young Adults Enrolled In ACA
Obamacare advocates are working to mobilize young adults, a demographic that's key to the Affordable Care Act's success, to sign up for insurance through the federal marketplace ahead of the March 31 deadline for open enrollment. But with sign-ups among 18- to 34-year-olds lagging behind expectations nationally, pro-reform groups are targeting Texas -- with its large, youthful population -- in an effort to up their numbers (Sementelli, 3/18).
And in enrollment news from other states --
The San Jose Mercury News: Obamacare: Health Insurance Agents Now The Most Popular People In Town
When employees at the Los Gatos nail salon where Roshan Bedi gets her manicures recently found out she sold health insurance, they practically froze in mid-polish. Suddenly, everyone was asking her which health plan was best. Once her nails had dried, she handed out a batch of business cards. Not long ago, a chance meeting with an insurance agent might have led strangers to start running in the opposite direction -- or politely extricate themselves from the inevitable sales pitch. Yet as the March 31 deadline to enroll in a health care plan looms, health insurance agents have become some of the most popular people in town (Seipel, 3/17).
Kansas Health Institute: Push On In Kansas And Missouri For Final Days Of Obamacare Enrollment
With the deadline fast approaching to get health coverage this year through the Affordable Care Act’s marketplace plans, a final push is on across Kansas, Missouri and other states to get people signed up. "We have stepped up efforts with our outreach activities. Our navigators have jam-packed their schedules, getting appointments made to get people enrolled," said Katrina McGivern, communications coordinator for the Kansas Association for the Medically Underserved, one of the Kansas groups given federal grant dollars to help get people enrolled (Sherry and Shields, 3/17).