Short answer: Maybe.
Even though the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) individual mandate was repealed last year, health plans that don’t meet the standards of the ACA still put you at risk of tax penalties. If you purchased a noncompliant plan, NPR’s Michelle Andrews explains the situation:
It sounds like you bought a plan that doesn’t comply with the Affordable Care Act’s requirements, and if that’s the case you may indeed have to pay a penalty for not having comprehensive coverage when you file your taxes next year.
The tax reform law repealed the individual penalty for not having health insurance, but that provision doesn’t take effect until 2019. So for 2018, you may be charged the greater of $695 or 2.5 percent of your household income.
The federal- and state-run marketplaces established by the ACA sell only comprehensive plans that cover 10 essential health benefits, including “major medical” services like hospitalization and prescription drugs.
But some insurance broker websites call themselves marketplaces too, says Sabrina Corlette, a research professor at Georgetown University’s Center on Health Insurance Reforms. And that can be confusing. These companies may sell other insurance products—like short-term or accident coverage—alongside comprehensive plans that comply with the law.
Double-check your plan details. To make sure you’re using your state’s official marketplace, visit HealthCare.gov and see if you can switch health plans.
Health Care in The USA is reaching new lows moment by moment. Current experiencing USA Healthcare first hand; live, and it is BAD. And getting worse in many ways beside the medical part. HELP!
Just a view from real life, current experiences.
Everyone seems to ignore the difference between having health insurance and actually receiving health care. If you can’t pay the deductible or disagree with the standard of care treatment, you might as well throw your premium down the toilet.
I went 40 years self insured and only exceeded the typical $1,000 deductible a few times. So if I add up all the premiums I didn’t pay and subtract the significant bills I did pay, I am thosands of dollars ahead. Plus I got to choose where and how my problems were treated.