ORLANDO, Fla. — A health insurance program is helping bilingual speakers enroll into the Affordable Care Act during its open enrollment period before the December 15 deadline.

But the director of the program said budget cuts could limit how much people it can help in person compared to prior years.

1. Central Florida Help: The Marketplace Project with the Primary Access Network helped tens of thousands of people enroll into ACA for the past six years in four Central Florida counties: Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Lake.

It helps many Spanish speakers at the city of Orlando’s Hispanic Officer for Local Assistance.

2. Budget Cuts: Last year, the program’s budget was cut 70 percent.

3. Smaller Staff: After the budget cuts, the number of staff went from up to 14 to five. The smaller staff makes it difficult to help as many people as navigators would like in person. It means more people would likely receive help online through a virtual appointment or over the phone.

"(Virtual appointments) can be effective when you can’t really read the body language of the person, or they may not have Internet," said Anne Packham, Marketplace Project Director at Primary Care Access Network. “Individuals on the other side of the phone don’t know the local hospital system.”

4. Enrollment: Packham estimated they will help enroll 1,500 people this year, which is about half of what they were able to do in prior years.

5. Deadline: Open enrollment for plans on or off the marketplaces runs from November 1 to December 15. Coverage will take effect on January 1, 2020. After the deadline, you can only sign up for a plan under special circumstances.

6. Get Help: You can set up an appointment or receive help by calling Marketplace’s number (877) 564-5031 or coveringcfl.net.