Another Florida County took action Tuesday to allow Obamacare counselors to operate on its health department grounds, despite a directive from Gov. Rick Scott’s administration limiting their access.
The Democratic-controlled Broward County Commission voted 8 to 1 to approve a resolution allowing so-called navigators, who are supposed to assist people in signing up for health coverage under the health care reform law, to work in county health department facilities.
As TPM has reported, the Florida Department of Health advised county health departments — which in Florida are operated by the state — that navigators would not be allowed to interact with consumers on department grounds. But Pinellas County officials objected to the rule, and the state relented on Sept. 12.
Broward County, home to 1.7 million people, followed suit Tuesday. As in Pinellas County, Broward County is the landlord for the state-operated health department’s facilities.
A Broward County official told TPM after the vote that the county had not yet heard from the state.