To keep you from having to search for it in the river of news, we're putting some basic information on the Affordable Care Act as it pertains to Florida in a prominent place at our home page, HealthNewsFlorida.org.
All of our Affordable Care Act coverage can also be found here, with the latest posts at the top.
Florida decided not to create a state-based enrollment website but instead to be one of 36 states using a federal Health Insurance Marketplace. The enrollment process has been delayed, however, plagued by software glitches on the site, HealthCare.gov.
President Barack Obama urged those who encounter difficulties or don't have access to the Internet to use the toll-free hotline, 800-318-2596. Those who are simply browsing the individual or small-business plans in their county can find buttons for that purpose at HealthCare.gov.
In case that service stops working for some reason, you can find the list for Florida at this site, but be warned the list can be overwhelming. Some counties have more than 100 plans available. Florida has the second-highest number of plans per person in the country.
Bear in mind when looking at that list or on the official website that the prices don't take into account the subsidies that will be available to a majority of uninsured Floridians.
To determine whether you qualify for a premium subsidy (in the form of an upfront tax deduction), see the chart at right:
View prices and plans here: