Applauding the Affordable Care Act's Historic First Open Enrollment

Floor Speech

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. I rise today to applaud the Affordable Care Act's historic first open enrollment along with the 8 million people who now have the health security they deserve.

And I am proud of the immense contribution California has been to these surging numbers. More than 3 million California consumers enrolled in health insurance plans or in Medi-Cal.

Moreover, after connecting my district to over 20 events and enrolling over 2,300 residents through my ``Enroll OC'' initiative, Orange County alone represented 10 percent of all California enrollments.

These final enrollment numbers are promising and although we have surpassed our goals, enrollment is only the first step.

We must now shift our focus to educating these new consumers about the services available to them through their health insurance providers.

Therefore, as an effort to educate new consumers in my district, I will be initiating a new campaign and hosting ``Know Your Benefits'' events throughout Orange County.
And I urge my colleagues to go beyond the kind of work necessary to reach those who the law was meant to help.

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