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Miami's Importance To Obamacare

South Florida is home to the highest number of people signing up for Obamacare.

With just one week before the open enrollment period ends, more than 660,000 people in South Florida have gotten health insurance plans through Healthcare.gov.

Almost one out of every two Floridians enrolling are from the Miami - Ft. Lauderdale - Palm Beach region. It's more than the next two metropolitan areas combined, making South Florida prime territory for the Affordable Care Act.

And Florida as a whole is the top state for Obamacare enrollees as the second open enrollment season winds down. (It ends Feb. 15.) Through early February 7.75 million people have had their insurance renewed or have signed up for new coverage through Healthcare.gov. This is the second year of the Affordable Care Act and the number of Floridians signing up for health insurance has increased significantly. In its first year, just under one million Floridians enrolled. So far during this enrollment period almost 1.4 million have signed up. In the 37 states relying on the federal government's marketplace, the highest number of enrollees are concentrated in two states - Florida and Texas.

Below, hear an interview with Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell.

The average monthly premium before tax credits in Florida is almost $400. But the average subsidy cuts that down by 77 percent, so the average out-of-pocket monthly cost to a Florida patient is $88, according to the Health and Human Services Department.

Enrollment ends Sunday.

WLRN is a partner with Health News Florida, which receives support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Tom Hudson is WLRN's Senior Economics Editor and Special Correspondent.
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