 With the advent of President Obama's signature health care law, more Americans now have health insurance than ever before. Despite gains, though, minority populations still lag white Americans in coverage. And even those with insurance may not take full advantage of it. A new survey of African American residents in Florida finds that a sizable portion of the insured aren't aware of some of the benefits of coverage, namely free preventive care, and that the most vulnerable people still go without insurance. A key component of Obamacare is its mandate that all insurance plans offer preventive health services free of charge. There might be a co-pay for seeking treatment for a cold, but nothing for blood pressure and cholesterol checks, cancer screenings, or kids' vaccines. Anything that helps patients stay healthy costs nothing. The idea is to address problems before they start, and to cut down on the expensive treatment that would otherwise come later, after patients develop chronic health conditions or complications. Historically, African Americans have not sought out preventive health care as much as white Americans, whether because of a lack of insurance, poor access to services, or other factors. Today, even with preventive health services offered for free under Obamacare, there is still a sizable gap in the use of those services between African Americans and white Americans. To determine the factors that account for this persistent disparity, researchers surveyed residents of neighborhoods in Tallahassee, Florida, where there is a 16-point gap in insurance coverage between African Americans and white Americans. More than 500 self-identified African Americans participated. About three-quarters were insured, and of them, 87% reported going to a primary care doctor. In contrast, among the one-quarter who were uninsured, 61% said they relied on the emergency room whenever they were sick. While a lack of insurance was the main reason why respondents could not obtain preventive health care, the survey revealed strong trends among those who did have insurance but did not seek preventive services. These respondents were more likely to be younger and less educated and to earn a lower income. 60% said they were unaware that preventive care was free with their insurance. Many may have been healthy college students, but the results suggest that getting the word out about free preventive care could boost use of those services in the community. Another way to improve access is to expand Medicaid, which the Florida legislature opted out of. Future surveys may yield more insight into how minority populations throughout the U.S. use and understand their health insurance and point to ways to close the gap.