First Lady Michelle Obama met and spoke with Miami residents about enrolling for health insurance through the Health Insurance Marketplaces at the Jessie Trice Community Health Center Wednesday afternoon.
Obama joked that she just happened to be in the neighborhood and then spoke about getting people–especially young people and minorities–enrolled for healthcare by Mar. 31.
“In the African-American community, unfortunately, 1 in 5 of us are not insured and the numbers are no better in the Hispanic community,” Obama said.
She said that the centers nationwide, like the Jessie Trice Center, will play a key role in the future.
“Because of your work we’ve got four million people who havr signed up for healthcare and that is a milestone,” Obama said.
The first lady said that the average adult pays about $100 a month for health insurance.
“That’s a pair of gym shoes, that’s less than a cell phone bill,” Obama said.
Obama walked around speaking with the four certified application counselors who sat at tables with individuals already enrolled for health insurance and four who had yet to enroll.
The counselors sat with computers and went through paperwork and the enrollment process on the healthcare.gov website.
She spoke with Paul Salazar, a counselor who said it takes about 20 minutes to sign up a single person. Obama stressed that the people who have signed up should encourage others to do the same.
Obama spoke to Vernon Twyne, who has already enrolled, and Terry Rutherford, who was signing up Wednesday, and they both said that they didn’t have coverage before the ACA passed.
She greeted Rutherford with a hug and kiss and thanked Suzy Diogene, the counselor working with Rutherford, for “changing lives.”
“No one in this country should have to go without insurance and now you don’t have to,” Obama said.
The first lady also spoke to Allen Zullinger, a law student at Florida International University, who said he signed up for insurance after getting in an accident last December.
“Young people you are not invincible. Mr. Allen got hit by a car, he is now insured,” Obama said.
Obama thanked the group for letting her “intrude” and then left.
Miami Herald/Pool
