Few in Savannah area seek Obamacare signup | savannahnow.com

Only around 380 submissions have been made by Savannah-area residents to seek coverage through the new federal health insurance program, including through HealthCare.gov, the much-maligned national website, according to the Chatham County Safety Net Planning Council.

The county-wide health care planning group — it includes primary care providers throughout the county — recently reported that only about 1,000 county residents had made inquiries about coverage under the new federal Affordable Care Act also known as Obamacare.

Dale Carlson-Bebout, executive director of the Safety Net council, told county commissioners on Nov. 8 that the Curtis V. Cooper Primary Healthcare and J.C. Lewis Primary Healthcare Center are the only organizations certified locally to help residents with enrollment.

The six enrollment navigators at the two health clinics have had 850 face-to-face appointments with individuals since the start of open enrollment on Oct. 1, she said.

“We are seeing improvement on the website,” Carlson-Bebout told commissioners during a presentation on health care trends included in an annual report.

The Safety Net council’s 2012 health care evaluation reported, citing 2011 census data, that 26 percent or 46,000 county residents, between the ages of 18 and 64, a group that accounts for 64 percent of the county’s population, were without health insurance (PeachCare and Medicare are available for those outside the age group).

Within that population, the report said, the largest age group without insurance is the 25- to 34-year-old group, of which 35.4 percent are without coverage.

via Few in Savannah area seek Obamacare signup | savannahnow.com.