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Misinformation, Apathy Slow Enrollment

With the March 31 deadline to buy health care looming, Florida ranks first in overall sign-ups for states with the federal government-run marketplace, at nearly 442,000. 

But navigators are still concerned some young adults are falling for myths that they don’t have to sign up, or that the coverage is a form of government health care, the Tampa Bay Times reports. That population is critical to officials aiming to reach a national enrollment goal of 6 million in the next two weeks.

Also, a $646,000 grant aimed at signing up Florida Hispanics in Miami-Dade County is being criticized for enrolling just 350 people so far, the Miami Herald reports. One third of the county’s residents are uninsured, and the National Hispanic Council on Aging had thought it was “ripe” for enrolling eligible Hispanics for health coverage. Other groups receiving similar grants have had better success than the Washington-based group, the Herald reports.

Originally founded in December 2006 as an independent grassroots publication dedicated to coverage of health issues in Florida, Health News Florida was acquired by WUSF Public Media in September 2012.