President Obama will visit Milwaukee on March 3 to highlight the city's health insurance enrollment success, according to Mayor Barrett's office. 

“I am thrilled to be welcoming President Obama to Milwaukee next week to celebrate our success in the Healthy Communities Challenge. In November, when I received a call from the White House challenging Milwaukee to increase the number of new enrollees into the Health Insurance Marketplace, I accepted without hesitation with the knowledge that our coalition of health partners was already at work,” said Barrett. “Our victory not only shows the success that a collaborative effort can produce, but highlights a much more important message: Today, more Milwaukee-area residents have health insurance coverage than ever before. This opens the door to care and to improving the health of our entire community.”

Under the leadership of Mayor Tom Barrett and County Executive Chris Abele, about 38,000 people in the Milwaukee area newly selected a plan through the Health Insurance Marketplace during this open enrollment period. Together with returning Marketplace consumers, about 89,000 people in the Milwaukee area selected a 2016 Marketplace plan. Altogether, participating communities saw over 1.6 million new enrollees, representing the people where were uninsured for years as well as Americans finding coverage as they go through changes in life such as being in between jobs, striking out as entrepreneurs, or aging off their parents' plans. Many more consumers renewed their previous Marketplace coverage.