Who is Exempt From Obamacare?

One of the aspects of the Affordable Care Act (ACA or Obamacare) is that every U.S. citizen is required to have qualified health insurance. This is a problem for many people for various reasons; some can’t afford Obamacare plans, some disagree with the new law, and some simply were unable to sign up during the open enrollment period. Regardless of your reasoning, if you decided to go without health coverage (or are considering going without insurance during 2016) you are probably already aware that you could be fined for doing so. However, there are many different ways to qualify for an exemption from the tax penalty, and therefore an exemption from Obamacare, particularly if you feel you can argue that health insurance is too expensive for you.

You may apply for an exemption if:

• The cheapest plan available to you would cost you more than 8.05% of your household income
• You don’t have to file a tax return because your income is below the required amount
• You were only uninsured for less than 2 consecutive months
• You live in a state that DID NOT expand Medicaid but if they had you would have qualified for Medicaid
• You are a member of a federally recognized tribe
• You are eligible for coverage through an Indian Health Services provider
• You are a part of a recognized health care sharing ministry
• You are a member of a recognized religious sect with religious objections to insurance
• You are incarcerated
• You are a U.S. citizen living abroad
• You are a certain type of non-citizen or not lawfully present in the U.S.
• You qualify for any of the following “hardship” exemptions
  • You were homeless
  • You were evicted in the past 6 months
  • You received a shut-off notice from a utility company
  • You experienced domestic violence
  • You experienced the death of a close family member
  • You experienced a natural or human-caused disaster that resulted in substantial damage to your property
  • You filed for bankruptcy in the past 6 months
  • You had medical expenses that you couldn’t pay in the last 2 years that resulted in substantial debt
  • You incurred significant expense due to caring for an ill, disabled, or aging family member
  • As a result of an eligibility appeals decision, you’re eligible for enrollment in a qualified health plan (QHP) through the Marketplace, lower costs on your monthly premiums, or cost-sharing reductions for a time period when you weren’t enrolled in a QHP through the Marketplace
  • You were determined ineligible for Medicaid because your state did not expand Medicaid under the ACA
  • Your insurance plan was cancelled and you believe all other options are not affordable
  • You experienced another hardship obtaining health insurance

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