AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says political opposition in Texas to the federal health care overhaul hasn’t helped the state’s underperforming sign-up numbers.
Sebelius visited Austin on Friday for one last push before next week’s open enrollment deadline. Millions of uninsured have until Monday to pick a plan or face penalties.
About 295,000 people in Texas had enrolled as of March 1. That’s less than half the 629,000 target for Texas that federal officials originally set.
Gov. Rick Perry and Republican leaders in Texas have consistently blasted the health overhaul.
At a United Way center in Austin, Sebelius said legal challenges and a “constant barrage of misinformation” haven’t helped people trying to figure out the law.
Texas has the highest rate of uninsured residents in the country.