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7 years ago · by · 0 comments

What Happens If I Don’t Have Health Insurance In 2017?

What Happens if I Don’t Have Health Insurance in 2017?

 

While the Obama ‘Affordable’ Care Act (ACA) aims to decrease the number of uninsured Americans, there are many who remain without coverage for one reason or another.

Kaiser Family Foundation research found that:

  • 48 percent of adults uninsured in 2014 said the main reason they lacked coverage was due to cost
  • 12 percent cited work-related reasons
  • 13 percent were told they were ineligible or could not get coverage due to their immigration status
  • Few uninsured adults were uninsured because they said they didn’t need coverage, opposed the ACA or preferred to pay the penalty

If you are among these individuals, what impact could having no health insurance have on you?

The consequences of going uninsured widely vary based your health and finances, amongst other things. In terms of the ‘Affordable’ Care Act and its individual shared responsibility provision, going without an Obamacare plan can also have tax implications.

What are those tax implications?

It depends on your situation.

 

Do you qualify for an Obamacare ACA exemption?

  • Yes or maybe

While the ‘Affordable’ Care Act’s individual shared responsibility  requires most Americans to have health insurance, there are certain situations in which exemptions are granted. Those who qualify for exemptions will not owe the shared responsibility payment for going without minimum essential coverage. 

Some examples if exemption-eligible circumstances include:

– Having a gross or household income below the minimum threshold for filing a tax return

– Experiencing general hardship due to circumstances such as homelessness, foreclosure, death of a close family member, unpaid medical bills and more

– Being a resident of a state that did not expand Medicaid

Some Obamacare exemptions must be claimed or reported when you file your taxes. Others are automatic. More information is available at IRS.gov. If you believe you might qualify for an exemption, speak with your health insurance producer and/or a financial adviser.

  • No

You are allowed a single period of up to three months without ACA-compliant health insurance coverage. If you do not qualify for an exemption and have no health insurance beyond this, you could owe the shared responsibility payment.

This fee is paid when you file your federal taxes for the year in which you were not compliant with the healthcare reform law. If you went without minimum essential coverage for all or part of 2016, you would pay the Obamacare tax penalty when filing taxes for 2016.

What is the penalty for no health insurance in 2016?

The tax penalty for going without health insurance increased in 2016. It is now the greater of these amounts:

  • 2.5 percent of your income above the filing threshold, capped at the national average premium for a bronze plan available through the Marketplace
  • $695 per adult and $347.50 per child to a maximum family penalty of $2,085

The penalty will continue to adjust annually based on inflation and the flat dollar amounts for 2016.

No health insurance? You could benefit from short term benefits

Whether or not you are exempt from the shared responsibility provision, you might consider some other type of coverage beyond major medical insurance (i.e., an Obamacare plan) to help pay for healthcare expenses.

Short term health insurance provides temporary coverage when you are in between Obamacare plans. While these plans are not ACA-compliant and do not qualify as minimum essential coverage, they do provide a range of benefits for unexpected medical care and often have premiums that are a fraction of major medical insurance premiums.

Short term health plans last as few as 30 days and up to 364, depending on how long you think you will need temporary coverage and the laws in your state.   You can apply and enroll online through websites such as www.HI4E.Org , and you can begin your coverage as soon as the next day.

 

Think short term. Get a quote.

    *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *

At Health Insurance 4 Everyone, we not only want to improve our customer service but also interact with our customers on a social media level that was not available before. Interested in connecting with us? Look us up on….

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Click-On for LinkedIn: LinkedIn 

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Follow Mark Shuster, Founder/Owner at Health & Life Solutions, LLC for daily health tips!

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7 years ago · by · 0 comments

What Happens To The Obamacare Tax Penalties Now?


 

The GOP pulled its Obamacare replacement bill before it could go to a vote on Friday, March 24th.   Now what?  Is that the end of Trump’s promise to repeal and replace the ‘Affordable’ Care Act (ACA) ?  Will politicians draft another bill?

There are a lot of questions, and most of the answers are forthcoming. What we do know is that the ACA remains in place as written. Nothing has changed.1

Subsidies remain in effect and available to those who qualify for them. Essential health benefits will stay in place. Nobody can be denied coverage. Children may remain on a parent’s health insurance plan until age 26.  The law, as written, remains the law.

The individual mandate is still in effect … but is it really?   

If passed as written, the recently GOP-proposed American Health Care Act (AHCA) would have abolished the individual and employer mandates and their respective penalties, retroactive beginning with 2016.2

But the AHCA didn’t pass—again, there wasn’t even a vote—which leaves many to wonder:

Will the Trump administration enforce the shared responsibility provision, which is part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act enacted on March 23, 2010 (i.e., PPACA, ACA, Obamacare)?

As consumers file their 2016 taxes, will those who went without health insurance and didn’t qualify for an exemption owe a penalty?

The existing healthcare reform law requires taxpayers to show that they have minimum essential coverage, which includes but is not limited to Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, CHIP, and private health insurance obtained through an employer or the individual market.3  This has not changed.

Most commonly, providing evidence of minimum essential coverage means checking a box on line 61 on page two of your individual income tax return.4  If the box goes unchecked, your tax return could be rejected—at least, that was the case until recently, and here is where some might become confused.

 

Will 2016 penalties be enforced this tax season?  

The IRS in February stated that, starting this tax season, it will no longer systematically reject returns on which the taxpayer doesn’t indicate their coverage status.5  However, the agency may still follow up with questions. But will the IRS really enforce the individual shared responsibility payment (i.e., Obamacare tax penalty)?

Tara Straw, a senior policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, in an interview with NPR reminded consumers that the individual mandate is the law and remains in effect; as such, they should pay the fine unless they qualify for an exemption.6  Straw cautioned consumers that “reputable tax preparers” would not advise them to skip the penalty or delay filing because the law could change.7

If you have questions about the individual mandate, exemptions, penalties and other tax topics related to healthcare, consult with a tax professional. The IRS also provides ACA information and resources that may be helpful but do not serve as a replacement for professional guidance.

Will there be a 2018 open enrollment?

As it has each year since the ACA’s individual mandate took effect, the open enrollment period for individual health insurance plans effective next year would begin sometime in the fall of this year. However, healthcare experts such as Mary Agnes Carey, question what the market will look like and how aggressively the Trump administration will promote it.8

This is the time of year when health insurance companies decide whether or not they will participate in the individual market and what plans they will offer.9  As the Associated Press reports, “What kinds of plans will be available and how much they will cost will depend on a few key decisions by insurers and regulators in the coming weeks.”10

What about those who need coverage now?

We encourage consumers to discuss their health insurance options with a licensed producer who can help them explore the plan types available to them.

And, again, all tax-related questions should be directed to a tax professional.

 

  •            *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *

 

Visit IRS.gov for an ACA Tax Provision Q&AView IRS Help & Resources Page

1Mathews, Anna Wilde and Melanie Evans. “Health Insurers Wrestle with Next Steps as GOP Bill Fails.” The Wall Street Journal. March 24, 2017. https://www.wsj.com/articles/health-care-sector-faces-uncertainties-regardless-of-house-bills-fate-1490380594

2Hiltzik, Michael. “Column: The GOP’s Obamacare Repeal Plan is Out—And It’s Even Worse Than Anyone Expected.” LA Times. March 6, 2017. http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-hiltzik-obamacare-repeal-20170306-story.html

3Erb, Kelly Phillips. “IRS Softens on Obamacare Reporting Requirements After Trump Executive Order.” Forbes. Feb. 16, 2017. https://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2017/02/16/irs-softens-on-obamacare-reporting-requirements-after-trump-executive-order

4Ibid.

5Ibid.

6Andrews, Michelle. Health Shots. “Even If You Expect Obamacare to be Repealed, Don’t Skip Paying Tax Penalty Now.” NPR. Feb. 8, 2017. http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/02/08/513755719/even-if-you-expect-obamacare-to-be-repealed-dont-skip-paying-tax-penalty-now

7Ibid.

8Martin, Michel. All Things Considered. “What Does Failed Repeal of Affordable Care Act Mean for Current Health Care Law?” NPR. March 25, 2017. http://www.npr.org/2017/03/25/521517124/what-does-failed-repeal-of-affordable-care-act-mean-for-current-health-care-law

9The Associated Press. “Now What? Options for Consumers as Health Law Drama Fades.” The New York Times. March 25, 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2017/03/25/us/ap-us-health-overhaul-what-now.html?_r=0

10Ibid.

                                 *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *           

At Health Insurance 4 Everyone, we not only want to improve our customer service but also interact with our customers on a social media level that was not available before. Interested in connecting with us? Look us up on….

Twitter: Healthinsurane4

Click-On for LinkedIn: LinkedIn              

Like us on facebook: HealthInsurance4Everyone

Follow Mark Shuster, Founder/Owner at Health & Life Solutions, LLC for daily health tips! HealthInsurance4Everyone or Health & Life Solutions, LLC

Mark Shuster FaceBook Link

Follow our word press blogs and read about everything from health insurance and reform news to healthy living and current events!   

Company Blogs

 

Find out more about LegalShield, our corporate partner which gives you the power to talk to an attorney about any legal issue, and offering high-quality Identity Theft protection plans.

LegalShield

Read more

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* State specific differences may apply to each insurance carrier or benefits provider, and each entity is responsible for their own contractual and financial obligations. Insurance products offered through HI4E.Org, Health & Life Solutions, LLC, and Health Insurance 4 Everyone, are not available to residents of New York or Oregon.

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