Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Uncertain Future Of Obamacare Worries Enrollees

Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.
healthcare.gov
/
The Florida Channel
Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.

People are still signing up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act despite its uncertain future.

During an enrollment event at the University of South Florida Tuesday,  people said they were worried about losing their health care.

Peter Hill was one of them. He needs health insurance in order to live a normal life.  The 26-year-old University of South Florida student was born with a movement disorder called myoclonic dystonia that caused his body to jerk uncontrollably.

He signed up for individual insurance under the federal marketplace created by the Affordable Care Act three years ago, and he's had brain surgery to correct his condition. Now he has pacemakers in his chest that keep his brain from misfiring.

"I can't not have insurance," Hill said. "God forbid something happened, it would probably be pretty serious if had anything to do with any of this."

Enrollment in the Affordable Care Act Marketplace runs through Jan. 31.  So far, nearly 1.8 million Floridians have signed up for coverage for the coming year.

Julio Ochoa is editor of Health News Florida.