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Obama Targets Tampa, Other Cities For HealthCare.gov Enrollment

President Barack Obama this week announced Tampa is part of a White House Healthy Communities Challenge, a 20-city contest where local leaders will try to enroll the most uninsured people within the 3-month enrollment period ending Jan. 31, 2016.

He andhis staff know it’s getting harder to find Americans without health insurance.  In the first two years of open enrollment on HealthCare.gov, more than 17 million Americans signed up for coverage.

Radio reporters from five of those cities were invited to interview the President one-on-one about the challenge Thursday at the White House.WUSFhad the opportunity to speak at the White House with Obama, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Secretary SylviaBurwell, and Senior White House Advisor Valerie Jarrett.

Obama said he will visit the city that wins the challenge.

"What we're doing is putting out a challenge because we've targeted certain communities, including the Tampa area, where there are a lot of people who are eligible who haven't signed up yet,” he said.

WUSF News Director Mary Shedden spoke with President Barack Obama about health care Thursday in the Oval Office.
Credit Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson
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The Florida Channel
WUSF News Director Mary Shedden spoke with President Barack Obama about health care Thursday in the Oval Office.

In his conversation withWUSF, Obama said while the administration continues to first promote HealthCare.gov as a place for low-and-middle income Americans to qualify for and earn tax credits on monthly premiums, they also added features to highlight out-of-pocket expenses.

He said it is part of educating all Americans about the real cost of health care. And that price tag, he said, is going up for people with insurance of all types.

"People who already have insurance whether through their employers or the marketplaces oftentimes they’re finding higher co-pays and deductibles,” he said. “More costs are being dumped on them."

He encourages consumers to compare health plans each and every year. It promotes competition among health insurance companies. The President said the need to shop is especially important for people already enrolled on the marketplace, as some plans have seen significant increases in monthly premiums.

"Shopping is the most powerful way for you to drive down those costs," Obama said.

It’s not clear exactly how the administration selected Tampa and the other cities for the Healthy Communities Challenge. Tampa does have an uninsured rate of about 15 percent, and its mayor, Bob Buckhorn, is a longtime Obama supporter.

Earlier this week, Buckhorn was at the University of South Florida’s student union, pushing enrollment for the biggest target group – young, healthy adults who can help bring down the overall cost of insurance.

In addition to Tampa, the cities competing for a visit from Obama to their city are:

·         Atlanta, GA

·         Milwaukee, WI

·         Charlotte, NC

·         Nashville, TN

·         Chicago, IL

·         New Orleans, LA

·         Dallas, TX

·         Oakland, CA

·         Denver, CO

·         Philadelphia, PA

·         Detroit, MI

·         Phoenix, AZ

·         Great Falls, MT

·         Richmond, VA

·         Kansas City, MO

·         Salt Lake City, UT

·         Las Vegas, NV

·         Seattle, WA

·         Long Beach, CA

Mary Shedden reports for WUSFin Tampa. WUSF is part of Health News Florida, which receives support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Reporters visiting the White House Thursday had a chance to meet the First Family's dogs, Sunny, left, and Bo. Handlers were taking them for a walk.
Mary Shedden / WUSF
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The Florida Channel
Reporters visiting the White House Thursday had a chance to meet the First Family's dogs, Sunny, left, and Bo. Handlers were taking them for a walk.

Press Secretary Josh Earnest updates national media Thursday in the White House Press Briefing Room.
Mary Shedden / WUSF
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The Florida Channel
Press Secretary Josh Earnest updates national media Thursday in the White House Press Briefing Room.

Reporters visiting the White House Thursday spent part of their morning working at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, located next to the White House.
Mary Shedden / WUSF
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The Florida Channel
Reporters visiting the White House Thursday spent part of their morning working at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, located next to the White House.

Cecilia Munoz, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, and Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell briefed reporters Thursday on the third year of open enrollment on HealthCare.gov.
Mary Shedden / WUSF
/
The Florida Channel
Cecilia Munoz, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, and Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell briefed reporters Thursday on the third year of open enrollment on HealthCare.gov.

WUSF's Mary Shedden and other local reporters attended briefings in the Roosevelt Room in the West Wing of the White House. President Theodore Roosevelt built it and the adjacent Oval Office during his time as President.
White House Communications Staff /
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The Florida Channel
WUSF's Mary Shedden and other local reporters attended briefings in the Roosevelt Room in the West Wing of the White House. President Theodore Roosevelt built it and the adjacent Oval Office during his time as President.

Copyright 2015 WUSF Public Media - WUSF 89.7

Mary Shedden is news director at WUSF.
Mary Shedden
Mary Shedden is news director at WUSF Public Media, where she oversees a team of reporters covering 13 counties on Florida’s west coast.