1199SEIU EVP Monica Russo recently joined U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez and others at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami to talk about implementation of the Affordable Care Act and how Floridians can get affordable healthcare on HealthCare.gov.



The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, UHealth, University of Miami Hospital, Jackson Memorial Hospital and many of the nearly 2,000 nurses and healthcare workers at UMH represented by 1199SEIU have been working hard to help South Floridians sign up for affordable, quality healthcare on the Health Insurance Marketplace at Healthcare.gov.



Here's a report from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine about some of what was discussed throughout the day:



U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez, speaking at Jackson Memorial Hospital on January 16, praised the role played by the hospital and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in assisting area residents with registration for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).



“Access to healthcare is a civil right,” said Perez. “It is inconsistent with our values as a nation to have more than 40 million people without it.” He noted that Miami alone has nearly 150,000 uninsured young adults, the third most of any city in the U.S. He also outlined the $51 billion in financial benefit, and coverage for 19 million currently uninsured people that would come from approval of the Obama administration’s proposed Medicaid expansion. But, he added, “the focus now is on registration.”



Then, turning to UM President Donna E. Shalala and Carlos A. Migoya, President and CEO of Jackson Health System, he said, “I am so appreciative of the leadership that you have demonstrated here in South Florida.”



Perez added that the one-on-one approach to assisting patients with ACA registration is making a difference. “Many people – especially Latinos – need help navigating the website,” he said. “You are my MVPs.”



Shalala acknowledged that UM’s working jointly with Jackson on the implementation of the ACA is an example of how the two institutions are “intrinsically tied to each other. This partnership is critical to the people of our community.”