The third federal health insurance enrollment center in New Jersey opened its doors in Edison Sunday.
EDISON -- The third federal health insurance enrollment center in New Jersey opened its doors in Edison Sunday.
With U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Congressman Frank Pallone (D-6th Dist.) in attendance, the latest center opened its doors in the Tano Mall, just off Route 1 on Amboy Avenue. The location will be open six days a week during the open enrollment period, which lasts until Jan. 31, 2016, officials said.
Both Booker and Pallone spoke of what they saw as the huge successes of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, in signing up and insuring millions of people who didn't have health insurance prior to it becoming effective two years ago. But it was Jessica Fernandez who made that success personal.
Fernandez said that "for a long time" her family couldn't afford health insurance.
"Last year, we went to the marketplace and got insurance," she said, tears coming to her eyes. After obtaining the insurance, she went to the doctor's for an examination and found out she has Crohn's disease. Now she's under treatment and she said she feels much better.
"We take care of our cars better than we take care of ourselves," Fernandez said. "We all need insurance."
Before she spoke, Booker and Pallone addressed the crowd.
"Gone are the days that people can't afford health insurance," Booker told the crowd of people who were on hand waiting to talk to someone about either obtaining health insurance or changing the plans they already have. "We are now a country that provides people with insurance. What we are doing here is changing lives and giving security to residents."
Pallone, one of the architects of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, said the centers act as another way to provide people information they need about obtaining health insurance.
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"We're here to get people to sign up," he said. "They should comparison shop. If you have insurance, see if you can get a better plan, a cheaper plan. If you haven't signed up, sign up. The more people that sign up, the larger the pool, it reduces the cost of the insurance."
Pallone said that the Affordable Care Act has been a "huge success" even though "we continue to get opposition from the right wing." The law was passed by Congress and signed by President Barack Obama in 2010, and remains controversial after a bumpy rollout of the online signup portal. The first look at the 2016 Obamacare premiums shows a 5 percent increase in New Jersey. New Jersey did not set up its own health insurance exchange.
"It is crucial for people to sign up," Pallone said.
Jackie Cornell-Bechelli, the Health and Human Services Region II director, said there are similar centers located in Clifton and in Union Township.
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