Health Care Health Care Reform and Your Taxes Read the Article Open Share Drawer Share this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window) Written by TurboTaxLisa Published Sep 30, 2013 - [Updated Oct 4, 2013] 2 min read Lately you may be hearing buzz about health care reform, Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare on the news. These are the unofficial names for The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, a national health care plan signed into law by President Obama that aims to provide the majority of Americans with access to affordable health care. Not sure what this new health care law is or if it changes anything for you and your family? Don’t worry, TurboTax has you covered. Here are the facts straight from our experts. The Affordable Care Act requires that all Americans (with a few exceptions) have health insurance starting in 2014. If you have health insurance, you’re all set. 80% of Americans already have health insurance through their employer, Medicaid, Medicare, or individual insurance and are already in compliance with the new law. If you fall into this bucket, you don’t need to do anything. You’re all set. If you’re uninsured, you can shop for health insurance in the online Health Insurance Marketplace. The Marketplace, which opens October 1, 2013, helps you compare your health insurance coverage options and costs. You have until March 31, 2014 to purchase health insurance through the marketplace. If you choose not to, you could face a health care tax penalty on your 2014 tax return (the one you file in 2015). You may be eligible for financial assistance to help cover insurance cost. If you purchase your health insurance through the online health insurance marketplace or exchange, you may be eligible for a government subsidy in the form of a tax credit. Unlike most tax credits, you will not have to wait to receive the tax credit or subsidy; it will be applied to your insurance in 2014 when your coverage begins. When it comes to the new health care law, TurboTax has you covered. The requirement to purchase health insurance does NOT impact your 2013 tax return (the one you file in 2014). TurboTax is up to date with all the latest tax and health care laws so you can be confident that your taxes are done right with TurboTax. Still have questions about how the new health care law impacts you and your family? TurboTax AnswerXchange will give you answers to your personal healthcare questions. Just answer a few simple questions and it will tell you how the new law impacts you and whether you’re eligible for financial assistance, so that you can make the best choice for your health care needs and budget. To find out more about the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, you can also watch our video. Previous Post TurboTax AnswerXchange Gives You Personalized Answers to Your Affordable Care… Next Post Health Insurance Marketplace Opens Today! Written by Lisa Greene-Lewis Lisa has over 20 years of experience in tax preparation. Her success is attributed to being able to interpret tax laws and help clients better understand them. She has held positions as a public auditor, controller, and operations manager. Lisa has appeared on the Steve Harvey Show, the Ellen Show, and major news broadcast to break down tax laws and help taxpayers understand what tax laws mean to them. For Lisa, getting timely and accurate information out to taxpayers to help them keep more of their money is paramount. More from Lisa Greene-Lewis Follow Lisa Greene-Lewis on Twitter. 1,052 responses to “Health Care Reform and Your Taxes” « Older Comments Newer Comments » Obamacare is a nightmare. Just another way for the government to pick our pockets and tell us what to do. Not what our founding fathers intended. Reply I checked out my options by using the Kaiser calculator. I am at 97% of the poverty line. I am single, and have my 18 year old son living with me. I live in Iowa (they have not expanded medicaid). The information I am getting is that I can’t get medicaid, and there would be no subsidy for me because my income is too low. It also shows that I would pay $300.00 per month, with no help. I am just a bit more than confused here. Help! Reply You don’t qualify for medicaid, nor does your son. Your son is over 18, and you would only be covered in this situation if you were pregnant. However, I’m not sure where you got the information that you don’t qualify for the subsidy. If you make up to 400% of poverty guidelines, you qualify for the subsidy. Here is a link to turbo-tax’s calculator to tell you how much you would have to pay per month based on your circumstances. It will also tell you how much your tax penalty would be if you DON’T pay for insurance. http://blog-turbotax-intuit-com-prelaunch.go-vip.net/2013/03/27/turbotax-health-care-eligibility-calculator/?cid=em_28704_&903&002 Reply Here’s a link to information on the income levels you need to get assistance for healthcare in Iowa: http://medicaidexpansion.com/medicaid-expansion-iowa/ It looks like you will qualify for Medicaid if you are at 97% of the poverty level. Another thing that I don’t see mentioned much but is specified by the new law is that if the cheapest plan available to you is more than 8% of your income, you may get a waiver from the mandate. http://www.schoolhealthcenters.org/top-10-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-affordable-care-act/ Reply Helpful article. However, does not cover the extra Medicare/Medicaid taxes for higher income taxpayers. Reply I would like to do a comparison with the insurance my spouse gets from his employer with what is available on the marketplace. I signed up and have an account now but they still want more information. Is there any way we can find out without having to give so much information???? Reply I have medicare & medi-cal because I am a bi-lateral amputee, however, this Summer I had to travel three different times to visit doctors. The travel was 1300 miles for each trip, I had to pay for rental cars and gas, as well as pay for parking and motel fees. Is this travel expense tax deductible? Reply Thanks for the info Reply Still very confused need some professional guidance in my health issues and income limitations Reply Until April of 2012, I had a job that paid well. Upon losing that job, I took COBRA medical. To make the COBRA premiums, I cashed in my 401k. Since I was only 53, I paid penalties and had to count the 401k distribution as income. As a result, my income for 2012 (the last time we filed taxes) was $108,000. The job I took in June of 2012 was a significant decrease in pay. I lost the job in August of this year, and am now collecting unemployment benefits. With wages and unemployment, I expect to have an income of around $30,000 this year. My wife receives a litter over $1000 per month in social security retirement. This brings our income for 2013 to about $42000. Being unemployed, I don’t know what my income will be for next year. Also, my wife has terminal cancer. Of course, we pray that she will live well into next year.. However, when she dies, her social security benefits will stop. When signing up for insurance through the exchange, one of the first questions is regarding expected income for 2014. My income could be as low as $20,000 if I don’t find a job and my wife passes soon, or could be in excess of $100,000 if I find a good job. What should I use as a estimated 2014 income when signing up through the exchange? Reply I own a home and my bills are 3-500 a month more than I make per month or what my income is from the small business I run out of my home, When your in business for yourself you don’t receive a pay check every week, Your held hostage to what sales you make, per month & what money you collect on a 30 day due date. If your lucky your customers pay before the due date. If I’m 300-500 dollars in the hole each month, how in the heck can I afford health Insurance, Medical won’t help or Insure you when you own Your own home or property. Please don’t be a smart ass when the economy was good I had Health Ins. Things are bad So how can I hook up with a Health Insurance plan when the cheapest I found is still 199 per month, if I’m already 500 per month over my bills now, and I don’t think its right to be threaten to pay penalties because you can’t afford health insurance??? I think that’s total B S, how the heck am I going to add another 200 to it? The money tree in back yard is already plucked. Reply Many companies are discontinuing employee coverage because the cost to them is going way up because of Obama. So just because you currently have insurance through an employee does not mean you are all set. So these folks are being left out in the cold on there own to procure the new expensive polices with extremely high deductibles under the “non-affordable care act” Just one of many incredible problems with this law. God help us all. Reply I own a home and my bills are 3-500 a month more per month than I make or what my income is from the small business I run out of my home, When your in business for yourself you don’t receive a pay check every week, Your held hostage to what sales you make, per month & what money you collect on a 30 day due date. If your lucky your customers pay before the due date. If I’m 300-500 dollars in the hole each how can I afford health Insurance, Medical won’t help or Insure you when you own property. So how can I hook up with a Health Insurance plan when the cheapest I found is still 199 per month, if I’m already 500 over my bills how the heck am I going to add another 200 to it? The money tree in back yard is already plucked. Reply I have health insurance but my children don’t. It is too high to put them on mine. I do not have extra month in my budget to pay for health insurance and I have tried applying for Chip and they denied me saying I make to much. I don’t get any help from my kids dads either. So i am going to be forced to do this or I have to pay a penalty? I mean what makes them think I have the money for a penalty when I don’t have the month in my budget for health insurance for my children. If I could afford it my kids would already be on it. In my custody papers my kids fathers are responsible for their medical insurance. So does that mean the fathers will be penalized or me? Reply Come November 1st, paying the same premium I did in 2012/13, will equate to a 200% increase in my deductible, 200% increase in my Rx deductible, and, get this, 1100% increase in my out-of-pocket exposure. What they failed to tell many of us is “if you get really sick you won’t actually get AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE under this ACT” … they always leave out the really important fine print. I share this here as another means to educate others. Reply I cover my husband, 24 and 25 year old sons on my health plan. Do they still have to apply for the Affordable Care Health Plan, even though they work full time or can I continue to cover them to age 26 and then they can apply when their cut off my plan? Reply Hi Claressa, Yes, if you already are covering them you do not have to purchase health insurance in the Marketplace. Once they turn 26, they will have to purchase insurance. Thank you, Lisa Greene-Lewis Reply I qualified for Washington state Apple Health for adults (Medicaid). They wanted only earned income and dividend income and not interest from cd’s to determine if I was eligible. Do you know if income from capital gains on sale of stocks goes toward eligibility? I have gotten both yes and no answers when calling the insurance marketplace. Reply You are blanketing all policies within the same category. You should have advised her to check with certain limitations within her policy to ensure that beyond your stated age limitations her sons may/may not be included in her policy. Depending on how it is written, there are certain policies that allow beyond that age for them to be included with your policy and premiums would be adjusted accordingly. Be careful of blanket statements that one situation covers all. With certain policies older children may still be included within the policy, each situation is different Reply keep me informed please Reply I do not qualify for any help on getting insurance, ie C.H.I.P.s or Medicaid. ( I do not believe in “free” anything). I do not have the money to pay for the forced health insurance, so now I am going to be fined for it. I hope this changes soon because it is wrong that parts of my paycheck are going to others to get insurance for free while I well be fined for not having the money to afford it. Amazing they think we have a money tree to get this extra money from. Do you fore see any solutions that many of us are going to face? Is it true we well start having our license taken, property tax go up, home foreclosed on, bank accounts with leans on it, etc? Ver worried! Reply We already pay a huge amount for tose people who do not have insurance. This is especially true when they visit the ER with a major illness or injury. Premiums go up and healthcare costs rise. The 80/20 rule will help ensure that what we pay will towards the cost of coverage and not line the Picts of CEO’s. it will protect people from foreclosure when a hospital puts a lien on your home. There are far more benefits to the ACA if you just looks at wat its about. As far as getting something for “free”, you are not. Everyone now pays for insurance. Reply I see this affordable care act/Obama Care, destroying not only may health further than it already is; and turning country in to a socialist country, and I will go as far to say a third world country. I would also confess my fear that Obama is going no where. I believe that he will figure out a way to stay our commander and Chief for life. He. Believes he is royalty already doing what he wishes without consent of the American people. Really what makes you think he will ever step down no matter how many elections we hold. I watch him say the other night on Fox News: “You don’t like the new law, then you run for office. Right, he has successfully bulldozed down the Republican party and brain washed the Democrats, people we are screwed! Reply you are 100% Right! Well, certainly the ACA is not perfect, but I hope it will be flexible enough to change. As far as Mr. Obama is concerned, I think he is too liberal, yes, but he DID win the election. I don’t see any sign of him making himself dictator. There are some conspiracy theorists who would say so, but I would say….they are very wrong, and are scamming us. I think the Tea Party is absolutely wrong in this debate so far. Thank you for listening. When good people get complacent is when the hammer strikes. Not even thinking we are headed towards socialism is exactly what is wanted. You won’t see it coming until it is too late. You really need to consider all scenarios. Rhonda, the key word for you is “fear”. You are the perfect person to have if you want to influence someone with propaganda. You can “picture” all kinds of crazy things happening. You “believe” all kinds of bad things will happen. But offer nothing to back it up except a misquote by a news station that has been called out on misquoting people many times. And, newsflash, you have lived your whole life in a socialist country. In particular, a social democracy. Don’t mix up communism and totalitarianism with socialism. Public schools, public roads, public parks, the Hoover damn, anti-monopoly regulation, electric power grid, Social Security, safety regulation, USDA meat inspections, police and firemen, public sewers, NASA, air traffic controllers, etc. All government controlled socialist ideas. Balderdash! A socialist economic system consists of a system of production and distribution organised to directly satisfy economic demands and human needs, so that goods and services are produced directly for use instead of for private profit driven by the accumulation of capital. Sounds like Medicare and Social Security! They provide services for use instead of for private profit. Are you OK with those programs? I’m not totally for the bill, but not totally against it. I believe that it should have been available for those, but no penalty associated with not having the insurance. However, I think everyone need to have health insurance. It’s really a no brainer. I’d much rather have my health, than the newest electronics, Christmas Gifts, A party, A soda, etc… Some of us have our priorities in the wrong place. What happens when you have an emergency go to the hospital and follow-ups with the doctor, specialist, etc… Then I have to foot your bill and mine. FAIR? However, I really don’t mind! Its the Christian Values beset in me and I guess that’s what makes the world go round!! I really can’t afford it, and it just went up for my family and I, from $200 to $250.00/mth (Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana), but there’s programs to help you pay for it like LAhipp. I am presently trying to apply for assistance with premiums. Maybe it would work.. maybe it won’t. Either way… GOD WILL BLESS ALL OF US!!! Reply Hi Lisa, you said you don’t believe in free anything which is understandable but if your paying for it out of your check then it isn’t free… Reply Yes L Williams – you are so right! I have a health fund where I have funds saved to pay for my medical expenses – I have never received free medical care but always carried my own finances in this area. Medical costs are so much less if you are paying out of pocket rather than going thru an insurance plan or a gov medical plan – for what Obamacare wants to charge me for my insurance, I save more than that now for my med needs – other than savinng some of my privacy and not paying into a program I am totally against – what incentive do I have for signing up for this gov controlled program? And I live in a state that has elected NOT to join into the program, so our low wage earners are not able to apply for a medicaid program – and even so, thru our state taxes, we will still be paying for those with no insurance – this ACA does nothing for our state – Interesting that no one answered your comment. I have used Turbo Tax for years. This comment, reply, and the video above, lead me to believe that Turbo Tax, supports this oscamacare act, and that they possibly do not help us get the most money back on our taxes. I did see that they were being sued in a class action law suit. So is this company part of the liberal political movement as well? If not then why is no one answering the questions from the people on here that are saying what a huge problem this un taxed, better coverage, free healthcare plan is? Reply Hi, We are answering comments and stating facts about the law only. You are correct we do not comment on any question that requires a biased opinion. That would be “political” and we don’t get into political conversation. Please feel free to continue to ask questions specific to health care and your taxes. You can also find answers to those specific questions at http://www.TurboTaxAnswerXchange.com Thank you, Lisa Greene-Lewis My question wasn’t answered by turbo tax. I asked how will the IRS know if we didn’t get the insurance? I’m still waiting for that answer. Hi Frances, Health insurance providers will be providing you proof of your insurance and if you have employer-provided insurance that information will be reported to the IRS as well. This will also be handled on your 2014 taxes when you file in 2015. This is taken directly from the IRS: The individual shared responsibility provision goes into effect in 2014. You will not have to account for coverage or exemptions or to make any payments until you file your 2014 federal income tax return in 2015. Information will be made available later about how the income tax return will take account of coverage and exemptions. Insurers will be required to provide everyone that they cover each year with information that will help them demonstrate they had coverage beginning with the 2015 tax year. http://www.irs.gov/uac/Questions-and-Answers-on-the-Individual-Shared-Responsibility-Provision For more answers to you specific health insurance questions, visit http://www.TurboTaxAnswerXchange.com Thank you, Lisa Greene-Lewis How the spin doctors have pressed buttons to make the word “liberal” dirty to some as well “conservative” to others, I know people who I believe would vote for Hitler if he was affiliated with their preferred party. The Office of President has term limits, two terms and that is it your out next election. Does anyone still believe the Ultra Rich Power Players really care what party controls the White House? Or the Congress? Or the Senate? Perhaps the time for law changes in how Congressional Districts are drawn as well as term limits for all elected officials has come..perhaps the way candidates are selected by parties needs to change as each Party is most interested in where their base is to hold on to those seats forever, things have to change for sure, the American people might come together be less divided, I used Turbo Tax for the first time last year, paying them money to submit my tax forms now seems silly, they along with other such companies, make millions from low and middle class Americans, well what is left of the middle class anyway. Seeing as you have no health insurance, have no ability to pay for health insurance, and do not believe in “free anything,” I’m wondering what you would do in the event that you fell and broke a leg. Would you pay the $75,000 hospital bill with a check? Would you refuse treatment and Mcguyver a homemade splint/cast? No. No you would probably go to the ER, accept treatment, and subsequently file bankruptcy. Being as you don’t have the funds necessary to afford insurance, If you did, in fact, try to pay the enormous medical bills, you would probably chip away at about 10% before the debt was passed on to your children. But hey, this is all scare tactic pessimism right? Nothing bad will ever happen to you. Reply Go to healthcare.gov you will get a Tax credit to pay for your premiums. If you make to much to get the credit then You should be able to afford. I was surprised To see the income levels they go by.A family Of 5 can make more than 100 thousan To get the credit. I was very pleased with My credit Reply Why do you not have the money to afford it? If you don’t make enough then you will get subsidized. Or do you have some extraordinary hardship that takes up all your money? Or are you saying you can’t afford it because you don’t want to? You are already paying for people who don’t have insurance. Our tax money covers the people who can’t afford it when they are hospitalized or go to the emergency room. We also pay for it with higher health care costs to make up for what the government doesn’t reimburse for them. The difference now is that someone with a treatable illness is more likely to get it taken care of before (10s of dollars) it is a hospitalization (10s of thousands of dollars). And if someone does go to the hospital, the insurance covers it instead of the tax payer and increased health care costs for everyone else. Not to mention a stronger economy with less missed work and less money diverted to sickness and injury. And don’t think of things as “Free”. There is a benefit to society for the things you think of as “free”. All of society benefits when helping people when they are down so they can get back up again. Instead of leaving them down, never to get back up again. If everyone who fell out of the middle class for a while stayed out of the middle class it would disappear over time. And if people who are poor never got help when they needed it, they would have little chance of becoming the middle class. Reply Ok Turbo Tax, let me try this in an un-political way. I work. I pay taxes so others can get health care. I do not have the money to buy health care for my family and now I well be fined. My estimated health care policy would be $350 per month. What do the many people like me do? Reply Because the “Health Insurance Marketplace” is so screwed up, for lack of a better expression, and likely to remain so for some time, all that we can do is to investigate what information about plans and pricing there is on websites such as https://www.ehealthinsurance.com/ehi/resources/subsidy-calculator#subsidyEstimator http://kff.org/interactive/subsidy-calculator/ From my family data input, the pricing/subsidies which these two websites indicate match fairly closely, in contrast to the current subsidy calculator on the TurboTax website which indicates much larger subsidies. You should also read the following article to see how some, if not many, people will be managing this Brave New World. http://www.sfgate.com/business/networth/article/Lower-2014-income-can-net-huge-health-care-subsidy-4891087.php That would worry me, too. Do you live in a state that did not expand medicaid to cover those who fall in the coverage gap? The ACA does specify that if the cost of the cheapest available (bronze) policy exceeds 8% of your income (I assume that’s your adjusted gross income), then you are exempt and will not be fined. Is the $350 per month with a subsidy or do you not qualify for a subsidy? If you can reduce your adjusted gross income, you can perhaps qualify for a subsidy (or a larger subsidy) to make it more affordable. Contributions to a 401(k) or an IRA as well as student loan interest, tuition, and fees can all decrease your adjusted gross income. There are probably other ways, too, but you’d have to ask someone who knows more. (Turbo Tax, are you listening? ) Unless your family earns a lot of money – more than 400% over the poverty level – you should be able to get some help. For myself, I’ll have to pay about $300 for a Silver plan after my subsidy, but that’s a far cry better than the $700 per month my family was paying before and than the $600 just for me due to a pre-existing condition, so I’m not complaining. Lisa, here’s a neutral website that may help: http://www.webmd.com/health-insurance/20130920/who-will-help-enroll-in-insurance-marketplace There are several pages of info, so you can explore the whole site. Keep in mind that some states are not allowing the navigators to advertise or otherwise let people know they are available to help (go figure), so you may need to seek them out. Hope this helps and that you can find an affordable policy. Being uninsured is scary. Lisa, your estimated health care policy as you say is $350 per month. Did you actually go beyond that and see whether or not you qualify for a subsidy? Did it actually say you don’t qualify for a subsidy? I have a family of 4, my children have medicaid but myself and my husband do not. I work less than 24 hrs a week and cannot afford insurance for us. Medicaid wont cover us, what should I do?? I work but not enough and our total household income is less than 15,000. Reply Hi Catherine, You should check the marketplace for your state. With your low income and family size, you and your husband should qualify for assistance in obtaining insurance, or for Medicaid. For additional answers to your specific health insurance questions, please visit http://www.TurboTaxAnswerXchange.com Thank you, Mary Ellen Reply Find yourself a large sturdy box that will house your entire family and set it up a beach somewhere. That is what we are doing when all the sxxx hits the fan. Good luck sweet heart you are going to need it. Reply If you make below a certain amount per year (around $9700 if you’re single with no dependents) you can get an exemption from having to buy insurance. If you make around $10,000 a year or below you can be covered by Medicaid if your state expanded Medicaid. If you make 12,000 and above you’ll qualify for a subsidy to entirely cover or nearly cover your cost for insurance. Google Kaiser Foundation calculator to get an estimate of what the health care plans will cost you. Reply Thanks. Answers, general numbers, a place to search. 🙂 will you help me please? This health care is hard for me to understand. you sent an e-mail before telling me that my tax breaks exceed my cost of my ins. but I can find it. Reply can you help me? This is a nightmare. Reply to all remember Congress didnt give the IRS the power to collect this but you will receive nasty letters from them but they cant enforce it they made sure of this when they passed the bill . Reply interesting. Im trying to find out what the actual penelty is since i do not have an extra hundred dollars a month, Reply Hi, If you don’t have insurance by March 31, 2014 and you are required to purchase insurance, you will receive a penalty of $95 per adult in your household, $47.50 per child, capped at $285 per household or 1% of your income if your income is over $20,000 if you’re single and over $55,000 if you’re married. Our calculator at http://www.TurboTaxAnswerXchange.com will give you an estimate of the amount. Thank you, Lisa Greene-Lewis start by deleading social networkings going off the grid and the famous buy ins cancel ins switch ins the way people due with car insurerance get agood safe remove all ties with banking cant levy nothing i got real wise over the yrs myself and familys delt with the f@# gov and state laws u should have seen this back in march when the as****h& 2010 talking about it and the idiots still voted for him 2nd term but the penaty is the best way to go so far or find the islands as primary residence speaking from i have dual citizenship know how to use it impeachment of the president ANYBODY REMEMBER IT and last time we all used it still havent seen a org to start one looking at my screen name tells a story. in ending good luck and stay on top of it IRS cannot threaten you for this or hold back refunds for wages on your tax form very seperate issues. paying income tax vs paying health care. why wasnt voted on by the people CAUSE WE WOULD NOT PASS IT . and they talked about how the mafia extorts money and least they can run a bussiness and not go in debt If you don’t like the plan, say so in an understandable way….I can’t tell what you are trying to say. I THINK you don’t like it, but I can’t even tell that for sure…. I’ll make it simple for your understanding, If I don’t qualify for refinancing my home?, because I don’t show enough income, how the heck can I afford Medical Insurance???, when I’m over 300-500 a month in paying my bills? You mean to tell me you can’t do the math? If someone’s 500 a month in paying out what they owe, and the Law says at my age over 50, you have to purchase medical Insurance, cheapest at my age being 198.00 per month, 500 + 198.00 = 698 per month = bankruptcy.. You can’t figure out what I’m saying here you must be one of jerry’s kids?????? It’s a no Brainer. Try this link to turbo-tax’s penalty/payment calculator. http://blog-turbotax-intuit-com-prelaunch.go-vip.net/2013/03/27/turbotax-health-care-eligibility-calculator/?cid=em_28704_&903&002 As for the penalty, ignoring for the moment the implications of the court challenges to the administrative interpretation by the DHS/IRS, avoiding it will also mean managing ones withheld or estimated taxes more carefully so that one is not left with a refund position at year’s end. Only then can the IRS pick your pocket via this penalty. Otherwise, they have under the law no recourse against you. That makes since because “they” said that it would not be a tax but a penalty. Still can not figure out why IRS is even involved in this anyway. Reply The Supreme Court ruled that it was only constitutional because it was a tax. So the White House can either say it is constitutional (and therefore a tax) or it is unconstitutional (and therefor a penalty). Wow really, way to go congress if this is indeed true. Reply If you do your taxes right and don’t get a refund, then they can;t take a thing from you,,, send me bills all you want the SCOTUS said they can only take from your tax refund… so do your taxes right and don’t have a refund due that they can get there hands on I really really really hope you are correct. Otherwise it really will be a nightmare. Reply My husband works part time and he has been insured individually. Can he still apply for health insurance under the Obama care or does he have to go on my policy at work since he is offered insurance even thou it is more expensive? Reply Hi, You husband does not have to go on your policy. He can check out his options on the Marketplace and determine the best option, including the policy he currently has. For additional answers to your specific health insurance questions, please visit http://www.TurboTaxAnswerXchange.com Thank you, Mary Ellen Reply The calculations say that a married couple with two children under age 26 do not qualify for any aid what-so-ever and that the cheapest health coverage possible is over $1,900 a month…..family income was $34.500 gross in this example. Now if this tool calculates correctly……this would leave that family with just over $400 in usable income after complying with this law. I have to conclude that this is not intended to get the uninsured into a medical insurance plan but rather a back door method of lifting another $300 or so in Federal Tax revenue from every household falling anywhere near this situation. We in Texas call that a scam!!! Reply Hi Robert, there is something wrong with your example. I live in Texas too and my husband and I, with an income of $32,000 qualify for $680 each per month in tax credit, which is over $8000 each per year. The most expensive plan, for smokers is $1900 per month for both of us, which makes it out of pocket $540/month. Hi 🙂 I worked full time for the first 3 months of this year, and worked part time for the rest of this year. I am 60 years old, a widow, and went on Social Security last February. I don’t have any health insurance and wanted to see if I qualify for Medicaid and need to know if where they ask for income, do I put in both the social security and job earnings, or just job earnings only? My son is 29 and lost his job due to cut backs and hasn’t been able to find another job because the economy is still not fully recovered here, so he is unemployed and lives with me. This year for both social security and my job, I will make approximately 27k total. Last year I made about 20k total. What is my best option for insurance because I barely have enough to pay for rent, groceries, car insurance, phone, gas & electric as it is. I worry that if I have to pay too much for health insurance that I won’t have enough money to pay rent every month. 🙁 What do you think is my best option for health insurance? Thank you very much 🙂 Reply Hi Deborah, First,they will include your social security income and your job earnings. The best option would be to check with the Marketplace and figure out what fits into your budget. You may also be eligible for a subsidy to help you pay for health insurance. For more answers to your specific health insurance questions, visit http://www.TurboTaxAnswerXchange.com Thank you, Lisa Greene-Lewis Reply useless dribble that you can get anywhere. The real questions are who exactly would have an impact, how much is the federal tax penalty if you dont want to turn your life over to thier system. Reply I live in MA so we have already had this healthcare requirement and tax penalties in effect for awhile now. A lot of people can’t afford healthcare and have made the choice to just pay the penalty which in the end is a lot cheaper. Employers only have to pay a minimum of 33% in order to be compliant with the laws so a penalty of between $300-600 is nothing in comparison to the between $3000-$6000 you pay out in health ins each year Reply My daughter will turn 26 on 12/30/13 and as I understand will no longer be covered by our health insurance. She is a registered nurse and had 1/2 yr income in 2013 until she enrolled full time in college for post graduate work. For 2014 she will ot have income. what is her best option for healthcare? Thank you Reply please keep me informed. Ron E Moore Reply I am 69 and retired. We are a family of 3. We live in the Philippines. My wife is 51 and my son is 16. They are both U S citizens. Do they have to get ObamaCare? Reply please keep me informed. turbo tax is great Reply Obamacare is nothing but another ‘Tax farm’ – that is an important historical term, please look it up: TAX FARM. Go to the Walgreens clinics, or buy into a Doctor co-op, and kick the commie insurance companies back to Eastern Poland. Reply Most people have this entire arguement upsidedown, and let me tell you why: Medicine (at least in this country) is nothing but a religion where doctors are the priests. This is a subsidy to the doctor’s, not the patients. This is no marketplace, just a huge profit to the insurance companies. Smart doctors are figuring this out….look at QLIANCE in Seattle. They don’t accept insurance, you just pay the doctor $70/month and you see them as often as you want, without copays and deductables! With ‘Insurance’, if you have ‘prescription coverage’, you are paying more for your drugs than just getting generic! People, there is no such thing as a free lunch, please wisen up for all of our sake. Insurance only ‘insures’ the provider gets paid, it does not insure your health. This is nothing but an Orwellian move to control our lives more and more. I would appreciate it if Turbotax stood up to this fascism, and not be a trumpeter for this fiasco. Reply What about the illegal alien parasites? How is BHO going to collect fees from them? Reply Turbo Tax has their act together! Wouldn’t it be nice if the Obama administration did? Thank you Turbo Tax for your clearly informative presentation. I know I will feel much better using Turbo Tax AGAIN this coming tax season Reply Our household income technically qualifies for some subsides for health insurance, but my employer offers qualified ‘affordable’ single coverage. My husband is stay at home and works very part time in a paid coaching position at a public school. He is not offered insurance. Would he (and our children) be able to get coverage seperately from me via the exchange with a subsidy since he isn’t offered coverage from his employer or, since he could be covered through my employer’s very expensive family coverage does he not have that option? (family of 3 soon to be 4 making around $60,000). Reply Hi Lacey, Your husband and your children can get their coverage from the exchange. As long as the coverage offered by your employer for you qualifies as affordable, you will not be eligible for a subsidy to purchase your own policy. For additional answers to your specific health insurance questions, please visit http://www.TurboTaxAnswerXchange.com Thank you, Mary Ellen Reply Unfortunately, if you qualify for your employer’s single plan, your husband and children will not qualify for any govt subsidies. Your options are: to purchase family coverage under your employer’s plan (hopefully with the employer paying a percentage – and the premiums paid reduce your taxable income); or purchasing the single coverage under your employer’s plan (since you are not eligible for Obamacare), and your family goes to the exchange and pays full fare – with no tax benefit. You will need to go to the public exchange to compare the two options (if and when the exchange website is working). Sorry – you are one of the many middle to lower income Americans who is being screwed by Obamacare. Reply If my husband and I file “married filing separately” can we consider ourselves two households, if we live in the same house? Can we consider ourselves two households if we are married but live in two different homes? There’s a HUGE difference, $ wise. If we are one household (he’s a Vet, covered by the VA, so he’s fine) I will have to pay $500/m wf huge deductible. If we are two households, I get subsidy & would only pay $300/YEAR for the best coverage.. that’s enuf to have to consider.. !! Reply Hi Dee, If you’re married, you must file a joint tax return for 2014 in order to get lower costs on Marketplace coverage based on your income in 2014. You can check out the marketplace for your state to confirm that this applies if you do not live together. For additional answers to your specific health insurance questions, please visit http://www.TurboTaxAnswerXchange.com Thank you, Mary Ellen Reply My question pertains to income limitations to qualify for subsidies on health care premiums. I am looking for the definition for income as it pertains to these limitations as I am recently retired and receiving distributions from money that I earned / invested over many years. Do these distributions fall under the category of “income?” Reply Hi Rick, Income is your adjusted gross income (the bottom line on page 1 of your long form tax return) plus non-taxable social security, non-taxable interest and foreign income. Taxable IRA, 401K and retirement distributions are part of your adjusted gross income, non-taxable distributions are not. For additional answers to your specific health insurance questions, please visit http://www.TurboTaxAnswerXchange.com Thank you, Mary Ellen Reply Mary Ellen: agi,ln1 plus non-taxable ss? Do you add back the difference from ln 20a? Will turbo tax fix this as well? Hi Ernie, For 2012 tax returns, you would use the amount on Form 1040, Line 37, plus the difference between lines 20a and 20b, plus line 8b, plus any excluded foreign income. TurboTax will make the proper calculations when you file your 2014 tax return in 2015. Thank you, Mary Ellen If my employer offers insurance but it cost too much can I still go the Health Insurance Marketplace and get insurance. If not will I still b e able to get help paying for my insurance since I make under the amount that is required per single person? Reply Hi Sarah, You can shop in the marketplace if you have employer provided insurance. Whether you receive assistance will depend on if your employer-provided insurance is “affordable” and “meets minimum value”. If your employer-provided insurance meets both qualifications, you won’t be able to get lower premiums in the Marketplace. Please see this link for more https://www.healthcare.gov/what-if-i-have-job-based-health-insurance/ For more answers to your specific questions, please visit TurboTaxAnswerXchange.com Thank you, Lisa Greene-Lewis Reply What about those of us covered under the Veterans Health Insurance? How are we going to prove our health insurance through TurboTax? They dont hand out insurance cards or policy numbers. Reply Hi Robert, According to the IRS Question and Answers on the Individual Shared Responsibility page – Insurers will be required to provide everyone that they cover each year with information that will help them demonstrate they had coverage beginning with the 2015 tax year. For additional answers to your specific health insurance questions, please visit http://www.TurboTaxAnswerXchange.com Thank you, Mary Ellen Reply Thank you Mary Ellen. My husband has VA health coverage and is able to get an ID card now for the asking. Also, his healthcare acceptance paperwork has identifying info that can be used for tax purposes to demonstrate his coverage. Hi Robert, If you are covered under the Veterans Health Insurance, they would report your insurance coverage information to the IRS. You would not have to prove you have insurance to TurboTax, but the software will be up to date with the tax law and will ask the necessary questions related to the tax law when you file you your 2014 taxes in 2015. For more answers to your specific health insurance questions please visit TurboTaxAnswerXchange.com Thank you, Lisa Greene-Lewis Reply Thank you Lisa. Thanks Lorie, the VA actually sent me a letter stating that I was enrolled and there was nothing else that I needed to do. Also I did find out that the VA does give me out cards with limited information that them. Thanks! Robert How is Obamcare, or the Affordable Act going to help you? If you live off the government your all set, and the working people of this country will continue to support your lazy a–. My health insurance premiums are going is going up by 28%, and the deductible is now $6,000 a year. Obamacare is designed for one thing, and that is to destroy the United States. You low information voters have only yourselves to thank. When there are no more jobs, and the government no longer has money coming in from the working class, health care will the least of your concerns. Who cares if you have health care when you can’t afford to buy groceries(sorry you all have EBT cards), or pay the rent(again I am sorry you have government housing assistance). Reply What about us working people who work 40 or more hours a week and have Medicaid because we are considered low income, because we are single parents who work hard struggling every day to support the child(ren) that we have due to another parents inability or unwillingness to pay the required child support to help support that child? Does that mean that we fall into your biased, close-minded frame of thinking and that we are all “lazy a-“? I’m sorry but not everyone is as arrogant, ignorant, chauvinistic, and pigheaded as you obviously are on your high and mighty throne that makes you think you are god. Reply Amen Christina! Right on Patrick. If things don’t change, I will consider leaving the country. Reply Where will you go, Somalia? Almost every country in the world has had socialized health care for many years. A friend of mine runs a one-man construction company. He says his health care premiums are going to be cut in half. He was paying for good coverage so that is an apple-to-apple comparison. Hi, Just wondering how the household income in my case would be calculated. We’re a family of 3 (me, my husband and my 10 year old son) usually, but last year my mother in law moved in with us for the short term. Is her income included with our household, even though she shouldn’t be? She is moving out soon but i’m not sure that she will be gone before we have to apply for the new healthcare. Thanks! Reply Hi Jessica, That is a great question. Your household income is made up of the income of the people who are claimed on your tax return. As long as your Mother in Law is required to file her own tax return, and she is not a dependent on your tax return, she is not counted as a member of your household and her income is not included in your household income. For additional answers to your specific health insurance questions, please visit http://www.TurboTaxAnswerXchange.com Thank you, Mary Ellen Reply I have several questions no-one has been able to answer for me: 1) household income – for the exchange is this adjusted gross income or taxable income? 2) I buy my own insurance but my husband has none. He is self-employed & cannot afford it. Can we get insurance separately (him thru exchange & I keep mine)? 3) By using the exchange, does this give the government access to our personal health info? Reply Hi Nadine, 1. Household income is a Modified adjusted gross income. Your adjusted gross income is modified by adding in non-taxable social security income, non-taxable interest, and foreign income. 2. You and your husband can have separate policies. He can get his through the exchange, using your household income. For additional answers to your specific health insurance questions, please visit http://www.TurboTaxAnswerXchange.com Thank you, Mary Ellen Reply My 25-year-old daughter is on my employer-based health insurance. Will she be able to remain on my insurance until age 26 which is the current law? What will happen in May of 2014 when she turns 26? Will she need to get Marketplace insurance that’s effective on her 26th birthday? If so, when should she apply for that coverage? Thanks for your help. Reply Hi Sharon, Your daughter has a little time to get insurance when she turns 26. She should be eligible for COBRA, and she can get insurance in the Marketplace. I think if she starts looking in April, she should have coverage by June. For additional answers to your specific health insurance questions, please visit http://www.TurboTaxAnswerXchange.com Thank you, Mary Ellen Reply I am on Medicare and plan to also purchase an Advantage Plan. Would it be more beneficial to purchase something through the ACA website? Reply Hi Kris, The best way to decide what is more beneficial is to to go your marketplace. Only plans purchased on the exchange are eligible for the payment assistance credit. For additional answers to your specific health insurance questions, please visit http://www.TurboTaxAnswerXchange.com Thank you, Mary Ellen Reply I thought if you were going to be on medicare you couldn’t get insurance in the marketplace. Can you get a supplement then Cheryl is correct, You cannot by Medicare supplemental insurance on the Markeplace. I keep hearing people talk about the “employer mandate”, and how it is the provision of Obamacare that requires the employer to pay (not just offer) for medical insurance for employees at companies larger than 50 FT employees; effective 2015. One of the stipulations is that the mandate only pertains if the employer pays for other employees, so it’s a “what you do for one you do for all” concept. Is this true? Reply Hi Marcus, There is no requirement that large employers pay 100% of the cost of medical coverage for their employees. There are provisions that require large employers to pay a penalty if even one of their full-time (30 or more hours per week) employees qualify for lower costs on their medical insurance on the Marketplace than what the employer offers. If the employee’s share of premium is 9.5% of household income or less, and the policy deductilbles and copays cover at least 60% of the total allowed costs of benefits provided under the plan, it is considered to be an affordable plan. Any plan offered on the Marketplace will meet these standards. There is no requirement that all benefits be equal, as long as the groups receiving a certain package of benefits is not selected to discriminate against legally protected classes, like age or race. For additional answers to your specific health insurance questions, please visit http://www.TurboTaxAnswerXchange.com Mary Ellen Reply Hi Lisa, My question for Oct 9 seems to have disappeared from this thread so I’ll try again: My wife is a Cherokee Nation Citizen and receives all of her healthcare through the Cherokee Nation’s Healthcare System. Is she required to purchase additional coverage? (I am covered by the VA, Medicare and a private Supplemental Policy already). Reply Hi Ken, Under the Affordable Care Act, she is exempt from purchasing health care through the Health Insurance Marketplace and you will not receive a penalty. Please see the below articles. https://www.healthcare.gov/if-im-an-american-indian-or-alaska-native-what-do-i-need-to-know-about-the-marketplace/ https://www.healthcare.gov/exemptions/ For more answers to your specific health care questions, please visit TurboTaxAnswerXchange.com Thank you, Lisa Greene-Lewis Reply Everyone should have insurance, by doing this perhaps the insurance co. wont be able to charge so much problem, and at least you can find insurance. Reply The clock-stoppers, the regressives, would have you believe 54 percent of Americans are against the ACA. Well, 18 percent (one-third of the antis) are progressives who desire a single-payer system. They’re against Obamacare because it doesn’t go far enough. That leaves 36 percent, and of those, clearly, half couldn’t tell you why they’re against it. So, that leaves 18 percent (i.e., the tea party) who don’t like our president, who was re-elected as a referendum for the ACA. Why the tea party doesn’t like BHO, I don’t know. I can’t quite put my finger on it. Don’t forget, comprehensive health care is an idea first put forth by the clockstoppers as a way to get the “bums” (you know, the 47 percent) to pay their fair share. Reply get your head out of the sand, ostrich, the muslim obama will destroy this country thru socialism welfare, disability creating a nanny state and this health care will finalize it. Reply Amen, brother! Reply John the bums will get it free now so what the heck are you talking about? I don’t belong to the tea party, and I know a lot of other people that don’t agree with this new so called Affordable Health care plan. Who is it affordable for the bums??? Give me a break. I’m middle class. I paid for my childrens insurance when they turned 26. I got a better plan with BCBS for them than this affordable health care plan. Do you really know what you are talking about?? I don’t think so. Reply Sadly the sheep will always be sheep. I’ve been informed by BlueCross BlueShield that my monthly premium will increase by 50%, my annual deductible will triple and my co-payment increases 50%. Can someone explain how I benefit from higher premiums and less coverage? Reply THANK YOU! THAT’S WHAT I’M SAYING! And on less than 25k a year….? AND after I got laid off, and lost my benefits (health premiums that had gone up 60 percent) and lost my only income, COBRA was quoted as another 56 percent higher, in addition to… Who can handle that? Reply ACA coverage will be much cheaper than COBRA. yes Stan, but remember now everyone will have insurance (hahahaha) even if you can’t afford to pay for it. Reply We can not afford insurance. My husband has it thru work but we can not affairs to add meat any price much less what they charge. No one should have ever been forced in to this. We would starve if we added me to a policy. Reply I have been unemployed since May 2012 and have only a very small Social Security I took early at age 63. Will I have help if I can’t afford insurance? Reply HI, Yes, you should qualify for Medicaid, or for assistance in paying for your medical insurance. Check out the Marketplace for your state. Applying there will let you know exactly what assistance you will receive. For additional answers to your specific health insurance questions, please visit http://www.TurboTaxAnswerXchange.com Thank you, Mary Ellen Reply « Older Comments Newer Comments » Leave a ReplyCancel reply Browse Related Articles Crypto Understanding Crypto and Capital Gains Work 7 Things You Need to Know About the New Business Report… Work Using Form 8829 to Write-Off Business Use of Your Home Tax Tips Roth 403(b) vs. Roth IRA: Which Should You Invest In? 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Obamacare is a nightmare. Just another way for the government to pick our pockets and tell us what to do. Not what our founding fathers intended. Reply
I checked out my options by using the Kaiser calculator. I am at 97% of the poverty line. I am single, and have my 18 year old son living with me. I live in Iowa (they have not expanded medicaid). The information I am getting is that I can’t get medicaid, and there would be no subsidy for me because my income is too low. It also shows that I would pay $300.00 per month, with no help. I am just a bit more than confused here. Help! Reply
You don’t qualify for medicaid, nor does your son. Your son is over 18, and you would only be covered in this situation if you were pregnant. However, I’m not sure where you got the information that you don’t qualify for the subsidy. If you make up to 400% of poverty guidelines, you qualify for the subsidy. Here is a link to turbo-tax’s calculator to tell you how much you would have to pay per month based on your circumstances. It will also tell you how much your tax penalty would be if you DON’T pay for insurance. http://blog-turbotax-intuit-com-prelaunch.go-vip.net/2013/03/27/turbotax-health-care-eligibility-calculator/?cid=em_28704_&903&002 Reply
Here’s a link to information on the income levels you need to get assistance for healthcare in Iowa: http://medicaidexpansion.com/medicaid-expansion-iowa/ It looks like you will qualify for Medicaid if you are at 97% of the poverty level. Another thing that I don’t see mentioned much but is specified by the new law is that if the cheapest plan available to you is more than 8% of your income, you may get a waiver from the mandate. http://www.schoolhealthcenters.org/top-10-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-affordable-care-act/ Reply
Helpful article. However, does not cover the extra Medicare/Medicaid taxes for higher income taxpayers. Reply
I would like to do a comparison with the insurance my spouse gets from his employer with what is available on the marketplace. I signed up and have an account now but they still want more information. Is there any way we can find out without having to give so much information???? Reply
I have medicare & medi-cal because I am a bi-lateral amputee, however, this Summer I had to travel three different times to visit doctors. The travel was 1300 miles for each trip, I had to pay for rental cars and gas, as well as pay for parking and motel fees. Is this travel expense tax deductible? Reply
Until April of 2012, I had a job that paid well. Upon losing that job, I took COBRA medical. To make the COBRA premiums, I cashed in my 401k. Since I was only 53, I paid penalties and had to count the 401k distribution as income. As a result, my income for 2012 (the last time we filed taxes) was $108,000. The job I took in June of 2012 was a significant decrease in pay. I lost the job in August of this year, and am now collecting unemployment benefits. With wages and unemployment, I expect to have an income of around $30,000 this year. My wife receives a litter over $1000 per month in social security retirement. This brings our income for 2013 to about $42000. Being unemployed, I don’t know what my income will be for next year. Also, my wife has terminal cancer. Of course, we pray that she will live well into next year.. However, when she dies, her social security benefits will stop. When signing up for insurance through the exchange, one of the first questions is regarding expected income for 2014. My income could be as low as $20,000 if I don’t find a job and my wife passes soon, or could be in excess of $100,000 if I find a good job. What should I use as a estimated 2014 income when signing up through the exchange? Reply
I own a home and my bills are 3-500 a month more than I make per month or what my income is from the small business I run out of my home, When your in business for yourself you don’t receive a pay check every week, Your held hostage to what sales you make, per month & what money you collect on a 30 day due date. If your lucky your customers pay before the due date. If I’m 300-500 dollars in the hole each month, how in the heck can I afford health Insurance, Medical won’t help or Insure you when you own Your own home or property. Please don’t be a smart ass when the economy was good I had Health Ins. Things are bad So how can I hook up with a Health Insurance plan when the cheapest I found is still 199 per month, if I’m already 500 per month over my bills now, and I don’t think its right to be threaten to pay penalties because you can’t afford health insurance??? I think that’s total B S, how the heck am I going to add another 200 to it? The money tree in back yard is already plucked. Reply
Many companies are discontinuing employee coverage because the cost to them is going way up because of Obama. So just because you currently have insurance through an employee does not mean you are all set. So these folks are being left out in the cold on there own to procure the new expensive polices with extremely high deductibles under the “non-affordable care act” Just one of many incredible problems with this law. God help us all. Reply
I own a home and my bills are 3-500 a month more per month than I make or what my income is from the small business I run out of my home, When your in business for yourself you don’t receive a pay check every week, Your held hostage to what sales you make, per month & what money you collect on a 30 day due date. If your lucky your customers pay before the due date. If I’m 300-500 dollars in the hole each how can I afford health Insurance, Medical won’t help or Insure you when you own property. So how can I hook up with a Health Insurance plan when the cheapest I found is still 199 per month, if I’m already 500 over my bills how the heck am I going to add another 200 to it? The money tree in back yard is already plucked. Reply
I have health insurance but my children don’t. It is too high to put them on mine. I do not have extra month in my budget to pay for health insurance and I have tried applying for Chip and they denied me saying I make to much. I don’t get any help from my kids dads either. So i am going to be forced to do this or I have to pay a penalty? I mean what makes them think I have the money for a penalty when I don’t have the month in my budget for health insurance for my children. If I could afford it my kids would already be on it. In my custody papers my kids fathers are responsible for their medical insurance. So does that mean the fathers will be penalized or me? Reply
Come November 1st, paying the same premium I did in 2012/13, will equate to a 200% increase in my deductible, 200% increase in my Rx deductible, and, get this, 1100% increase in my out-of-pocket exposure. What they failed to tell many of us is “if you get really sick you won’t actually get AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE under this ACT” … they always leave out the really important fine print. I share this here as another means to educate others. Reply
I cover my husband, 24 and 25 year old sons on my health plan. Do they still have to apply for the Affordable Care Health Plan, even though they work full time or can I continue to cover them to age 26 and then they can apply when their cut off my plan? Reply
Hi Claressa, Yes, if you already are covering them you do not have to purchase health insurance in the Marketplace. Once they turn 26, they will have to purchase insurance. Thank you, Lisa Greene-Lewis Reply
I qualified for Washington state Apple Health for adults (Medicaid). They wanted only earned income and dividend income and not interest from cd’s to determine if I was eligible. Do you know if income from capital gains on sale of stocks goes toward eligibility? I have gotten both yes and no answers when calling the insurance marketplace. Reply
You are blanketing all policies within the same category. You should have advised her to check with certain limitations within her policy to ensure that beyond your stated age limitations her sons may/may not be included in her policy. Depending on how it is written, there are certain policies that allow beyond that age for them to be included with your policy and premiums would be adjusted accordingly. Be careful of blanket statements that one situation covers all. With certain policies older children may still be included within the policy, each situation is different Reply
I do not qualify for any help on getting insurance, ie C.H.I.P.s or Medicaid. ( I do not believe in “free” anything). I do not have the money to pay for the forced health insurance, so now I am going to be fined for it. I hope this changes soon because it is wrong that parts of my paycheck are going to others to get insurance for free while I well be fined for not having the money to afford it. Amazing they think we have a money tree to get this extra money from. Do you fore see any solutions that many of us are going to face? Is it true we well start having our license taken, property tax go up, home foreclosed on, bank accounts with leans on it, etc? Ver worried! Reply
We already pay a huge amount for tose people who do not have insurance. This is especially true when they visit the ER with a major illness or injury. Premiums go up and healthcare costs rise. The 80/20 rule will help ensure that what we pay will towards the cost of coverage and not line the Picts of CEO’s. it will protect people from foreclosure when a hospital puts a lien on your home. There are far more benefits to the ACA if you just looks at wat its about. As far as getting something for “free”, you are not. Everyone now pays for insurance. Reply
I see this affordable care act/Obama Care, destroying not only may health further than it already is; and turning country in to a socialist country, and I will go as far to say a third world country. I would also confess my fear that Obama is going no where. I believe that he will figure out a way to stay our commander and Chief for life. He. Believes he is royalty already doing what he wishes without consent of the American people. Really what makes you think he will ever step down no matter how many elections we hold. I watch him say the other night on Fox News: “You don’t like the new law, then you run for office. Right, he has successfully bulldozed down the Republican party and brain washed the Democrats, people we are screwed! Reply
Well, certainly the ACA is not perfect, but I hope it will be flexible enough to change. As far as Mr. Obama is concerned, I think he is too liberal, yes, but he DID win the election. I don’t see any sign of him making himself dictator. There are some conspiracy theorists who would say so, but I would say….they are very wrong, and are scamming us. I think the Tea Party is absolutely wrong in this debate so far. Thank you for listening.
When good people get complacent is when the hammer strikes. Not even thinking we are headed towards socialism is exactly what is wanted. You won’t see it coming until it is too late. You really need to consider all scenarios.
Rhonda, the key word for you is “fear”. You are the perfect person to have if you want to influence someone with propaganda. You can “picture” all kinds of crazy things happening. You “believe” all kinds of bad things will happen. But offer nothing to back it up except a misquote by a news station that has been called out on misquoting people many times. And, newsflash, you have lived your whole life in a socialist country. In particular, a social democracy. Don’t mix up communism and totalitarianism with socialism. Public schools, public roads, public parks, the Hoover damn, anti-monopoly regulation, electric power grid, Social Security, safety regulation, USDA meat inspections, police and firemen, public sewers, NASA, air traffic controllers, etc. All government controlled socialist ideas.
A socialist economic system consists of a system of production and distribution organised to directly satisfy economic demands and human needs, so that goods and services are produced directly for use instead of for private profit driven by the accumulation of capital. Sounds like Medicare and Social Security! They provide services for use instead of for private profit. Are you OK with those programs?
I’m not totally for the bill, but not totally against it. I believe that it should have been available for those, but no penalty associated with not having the insurance. However, I think everyone need to have health insurance. It’s really a no brainer. I’d much rather have my health, than the newest electronics, Christmas Gifts, A party, A soda, etc… Some of us have our priorities in the wrong place. What happens when you have an emergency go to the hospital and follow-ups with the doctor, specialist, etc… Then I have to foot your bill and mine. FAIR? However, I really don’t mind! Its the Christian Values beset in me and I guess that’s what makes the world go round!! I really can’t afford it, and it just went up for my family and I, from $200 to $250.00/mth (Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana), but there’s programs to help you pay for it like LAhipp. I am presently trying to apply for assistance with premiums. Maybe it would work.. maybe it won’t. Either way… GOD WILL BLESS ALL OF US!!! Reply
Hi Lisa, you said you don’t believe in free anything which is understandable but if your paying for it out of your check then it isn’t free… Reply
Yes L Williams – you are so right! I have a health fund where I have funds saved to pay for my medical expenses – I have never received free medical care but always carried my own finances in this area. Medical costs are so much less if you are paying out of pocket rather than going thru an insurance plan or a gov medical plan – for what Obamacare wants to charge me for my insurance, I save more than that now for my med needs – other than savinng some of my privacy and not paying into a program I am totally against – what incentive do I have for signing up for this gov controlled program? And I live in a state that has elected NOT to join into the program, so our low wage earners are not able to apply for a medicaid program – and even so, thru our state taxes, we will still be paying for those with no insurance – this ACA does nothing for our state –
Interesting that no one answered your comment. I have used Turbo Tax for years. This comment, reply, and the video above, lead me to believe that Turbo Tax, supports this oscamacare act, and that they possibly do not help us get the most money back on our taxes. I did see that they were being sued in a class action law suit. So is this company part of the liberal political movement as well? If not then why is no one answering the questions from the people on here that are saying what a huge problem this un taxed, better coverage, free healthcare plan is? Reply
Hi, We are answering comments and stating facts about the law only. You are correct we do not comment on any question that requires a biased opinion. That would be “political” and we don’t get into political conversation. Please feel free to continue to ask questions specific to health care and your taxes. You can also find answers to those specific questions at http://www.TurboTaxAnswerXchange.com Thank you, Lisa Greene-Lewis
My question wasn’t answered by turbo tax. I asked how will the IRS know if we didn’t get the insurance? I’m still waiting for that answer.
Hi Frances, Health insurance providers will be providing you proof of your insurance and if you have employer-provided insurance that information will be reported to the IRS as well. This will also be handled on your 2014 taxes when you file in 2015. This is taken directly from the IRS: The individual shared responsibility provision goes into effect in 2014. You will not have to account for coverage or exemptions or to make any payments until you file your 2014 federal income tax return in 2015. Information will be made available later about how the income tax return will take account of coverage and exemptions. Insurers will be required to provide everyone that they cover each year with information that will help them demonstrate they had coverage beginning with the 2015 tax year. http://www.irs.gov/uac/Questions-and-Answers-on-the-Individual-Shared-Responsibility-Provision For more answers to you specific health insurance questions, visit http://www.TurboTaxAnswerXchange.com Thank you, Lisa Greene-Lewis
How the spin doctors have pressed buttons to make the word “liberal” dirty to some as well “conservative” to others, I know people who I believe would vote for Hitler if he was affiliated with their preferred party. The Office of President has term limits, two terms and that is it your out next election. Does anyone still believe the Ultra Rich Power Players really care what party controls the White House? Or the Congress? Or the Senate? Perhaps the time for law changes in how Congressional Districts are drawn as well as term limits for all elected officials has come..perhaps the way candidates are selected by parties needs to change as each Party is most interested in where their base is to hold on to those seats forever, things have to change for sure, the American people might come together be less divided, I used Turbo Tax for the first time last year, paying them money to submit my tax forms now seems silly, they along with other such companies, make millions from low and middle class Americans, well what is left of the middle class anyway.
Seeing as you have no health insurance, have no ability to pay for health insurance, and do not believe in “free anything,” I’m wondering what you would do in the event that you fell and broke a leg. Would you pay the $75,000 hospital bill with a check? Would you refuse treatment and Mcguyver a homemade splint/cast? No. No you would probably go to the ER, accept treatment, and subsequently file bankruptcy. Being as you don’t have the funds necessary to afford insurance, If you did, in fact, try to pay the enormous medical bills, you would probably chip away at about 10% before the debt was passed on to your children. But hey, this is all scare tactic pessimism right? Nothing bad will ever happen to you. Reply
Go to healthcare.gov you will get a Tax credit to pay for your premiums. If you make to much to get the credit then You should be able to afford. I was surprised To see the income levels they go by.A family Of 5 can make more than 100 thousan To get the credit. I was very pleased with My credit Reply
Why do you not have the money to afford it? If you don’t make enough then you will get subsidized. Or do you have some extraordinary hardship that takes up all your money? Or are you saying you can’t afford it because you don’t want to? You are already paying for people who don’t have insurance. Our tax money covers the people who can’t afford it when they are hospitalized or go to the emergency room. We also pay for it with higher health care costs to make up for what the government doesn’t reimburse for them. The difference now is that someone with a treatable illness is more likely to get it taken care of before (10s of dollars) it is a hospitalization (10s of thousands of dollars). And if someone does go to the hospital, the insurance covers it instead of the tax payer and increased health care costs for everyone else. Not to mention a stronger economy with less missed work and less money diverted to sickness and injury. And don’t think of things as “Free”. There is a benefit to society for the things you think of as “free”. All of society benefits when helping people when they are down so they can get back up again. Instead of leaving them down, never to get back up again. If everyone who fell out of the middle class for a while stayed out of the middle class it would disappear over time. And if people who are poor never got help when they needed it, they would have little chance of becoming the middle class. Reply
Ok Turbo Tax, let me try this in an un-political way. I work. I pay taxes so others can get health care. I do not have the money to buy health care for my family and now I well be fined. My estimated health care policy would be $350 per month. What do the many people like me do? Reply
Because the “Health Insurance Marketplace” is so screwed up, for lack of a better expression, and likely to remain so for some time, all that we can do is to investigate what information about plans and pricing there is on websites such as https://www.ehealthinsurance.com/ehi/resources/subsidy-calculator#subsidyEstimator http://kff.org/interactive/subsidy-calculator/ From my family data input, the pricing/subsidies which these two websites indicate match fairly closely, in contrast to the current subsidy calculator on the TurboTax website which indicates much larger subsidies. You should also read the following article to see how some, if not many, people will be managing this Brave New World. http://www.sfgate.com/business/networth/article/Lower-2014-income-can-net-huge-health-care-subsidy-4891087.php
That would worry me, too. Do you live in a state that did not expand medicaid to cover those who fall in the coverage gap? The ACA does specify that if the cost of the cheapest available (bronze) policy exceeds 8% of your income (I assume that’s your adjusted gross income), then you are exempt and will not be fined. Is the $350 per month with a subsidy or do you not qualify for a subsidy? If you can reduce your adjusted gross income, you can perhaps qualify for a subsidy (or a larger subsidy) to make it more affordable. Contributions to a 401(k) or an IRA as well as student loan interest, tuition, and fees can all decrease your adjusted gross income. There are probably other ways, too, but you’d have to ask someone who knows more. (Turbo Tax, are you listening? ) Unless your family earns a lot of money – more than 400% over the poverty level – you should be able to get some help. For myself, I’ll have to pay about $300 for a Silver plan after my subsidy, but that’s a far cry better than the $700 per month my family was paying before and than the $600 just for me due to a pre-existing condition, so I’m not complaining.
Lisa, here’s a neutral website that may help: http://www.webmd.com/health-insurance/20130920/who-will-help-enroll-in-insurance-marketplace There are several pages of info, so you can explore the whole site. Keep in mind that some states are not allowing the navigators to advertise or otherwise let people know they are available to help (go figure), so you may need to seek them out. Hope this helps and that you can find an affordable policy. Being uninsured is scary.
Lisa, your estimated health care policy as you say is $350 per month. Did you actually go beyond that and see whether or not you qualify for a subsidy? Did it actually say you don’t qualify for a subsidy?
I have a family of 4, my children have medicaid but myself and my husband do not. I work less than 24 hrs a week and cannot afford insurance for us. Medicaid wont cover us, what should I do?? I work but not enough and our total household income is less than 15,000. Reply
Hi Catherine, You should check the marketplace for your state. With your low income and family size, you and your husband should qualify for assistance in obtaining insurance, or for Medicaid. For additional answers to your specific health insurance questions, please visit http://www.TurboTaxAnswerXchange.com Thank you, Mary Ellen Reply
Find yourself a large sturdy box that will house your entire family and set it up a beach somewhere. That is what we are doing when all the sxxx hits the fan. Good luck sweet heart you are going to need it. Reply
If you make below a certain amount per year (around $9700 if you’re single with no dependents) you can get an exemption from having to buy insurance. If you make around $10,000 a year or below you can be covered by Medicaid if your state expanded Medicaid. If you make 12,000 and above you’ll qualify for a subsidy to entirely cover or nearly cover your cost for insurance. Google Kaiser Foundation calculator to get an estimate of what the health care plans will cost you. Reply
will you help me please? This health care is hard for me to understand. you sent an e-mail before telling me that my tax breaks exceed my cost of my ins. but I can find it. Reply
to all remember Congress didnt give the IRS the power to collect this but you will receive nasty letters from them but they cant enforce it they made sure of this when they passed the bill . Reply
interesting. Im trying to find out what the actual penelty is since i do not have an extra hundred dollars a month, Reply
Hi, If you don’t have insurance by March 31, 2014 and you are required to purchase insurance, you will receive a penalty of $95 per adult in your household, $47.50 per child, capped at $285 per household or 1% of your income if your income is over $20,000 if you’re single and over $55,000 if you’re married. Our calculator at http://www.TurboTaxAnswerXchange.com will give you an estimate of the amount. Thank you, Lisa Greene-Lewis
start by deleading social networkings going off the grid and the famous buy ins cancel ins switch ins the way people due with car insurerance get agood safe remove all ties with banking cant levy nothing i got real wise over the yrs myself and familys delt with the f@# gov and state laws u should have seen this back in march when the as****h& 2010 talking about it and the idiots still voted for him 2nd term but the penaty is the best way to go so far or find the islands as primary residence speaking from i have dual citizenship know how to use it impeachment of the president ANYBODY REMEMBER IT and last time we all used it still havent seen a org to start one looking at my screen name tells a story. in ending good luck and stay on top of it IRS cannot threaten you for this or hold back refunds for wages on your tax form very seperate issues. paying income tax vs paying health care. why wasnt voted on by the people CAUSE WE WOULD NOT PASS IT . and they talked about how the mafia extorts money and least they can run a bussiness and not go in debt
If you don’t like the plan, say so in an understandable way….I can’t tell what you are trying to say. I THINK you don’t like it, but I can’t even tell that for sure….
I’ll make it simple for your understanding, If I don’t qualify for refinancing my home?, because I don’t show enough income, how the heck can I afford Medical Insurance???, when I’m over 300-500 a month in paying my bills? You mean to tell me you can’t do the math? If someone’s 500 a month in paying out what they owe, and the Law says at my age over 50, you have to purchase medical Insurance, cheapest at my age being 198.00 per month, 500 + 198.00 = 698 per month = bankruptcy.. You can’t figure out what I’m saying here you must be one of jerry’s kids?????? It’s a no Brainer.
Try this link to turbo-tax’s penalty/payment calculator. http://blog-turbotax-intuit-com-prelaunch.go-vip.net/2013/03/27/turbotax-health-care-eligibility-calculator/?cid=em_28704_&903&002
As for the penalty, ignoring for the moment the implications of the court challenges to the administrative interpretation by the DHS/IRS, avoiding it will also mean managing ones withheld or estimated taxes more carefully so that one is not left with a refund position at year’s end. Only then can the IRS pick your pocket via this penalty. Otherwise, they have under the law no recourse against you.
That makes since because “they” said that it would not be a tax but a penalty. Still can not figure out why IRS is even involved in this anyway. Reply
The Supreme Court ruled that it was only constitutional because it was a tax. So the White House can either say it is constitutional (and therefore a tax) or it is unconstitutional (and therefor a penalty).
If you do your taxes right and don’t get a refund, then they can;t take a thing from you,,, send me bills all you want the SCOTUS said they can only take from your tax refund… so do your taxes right and don’t have a refund due that they can get there hands on
My husband works part time and he has been insured individually. Can he still apply for health insurance under the Obama care or does he have to go on my policy at work since he is offered insurance even thou it is more expensive? Reply
Hi, You husband does not have to go on your policy. He can check out his options on the Marketplace and determine the best option, including the policy he currently has. For additional answers to your specific health insurance questions, please visit http://www.TurboTaxAnswerXchange.com Thank you, Mary Ellen Reply
The calculations say that a married couple with two children under age 26 do not qualify for any aid what-so-ever and that the cheapest health coverage possible is over $1,900 a month…..family income was $34.500 gross in this example. Now if this tool calculates correctly……this would leave that family with just over $400 in usable income after complying with this law. I have to conclude that this is not intended to get the uninsured into a medical insurance plan but rather a back door method of lifting another $300 or so in Federal Tax revenue from every household falling anywhere near this situation. We in Texas call that a scam!!! Reply
Hi Robert, there is something wrong with your example. I live in Texas too and my husband and I, with an income of $32,000 qualify for $680 each per month in tax credit, which is over $8000 each per year. The most expensive plan, for smokers is $1900 per month for both of us, which makes it out of pocket $540/month.
Hi 🙂 I worked full time for the first 3 months of this year, and worked part time for the rest of this year. I am 60 years old, a widow, and went on Social Security last February. I don’t have any health insurance and wanted to see if I qualify for Medicaid and need to know if where they ask for income, do I put in both the social security and job earnings, or just job earnings only? My son is 29 and lost his job due to cut backs and hasn’t been able to find another job because the economy is still not fully recovered here, so he is unemployed and lives with me. This year for both social security and my job, I will make approximately 27k total. Last year I made about 20k total. What is my best option for insurance because I barely have enough to pay for rent, groceries, car insurance, phone, gas & electric as it is. I worry that if I have to pay too much for health insurance that I won’t have enough money to pay rent every month. 🙁 What do you think is my best option for health insurance? Thank you very much 🙂 Reply
Hi Deborah, First,they will include your social security income and your job earnings. The best option would be to check with the Marketplace and figure out what fits into your budget. You may also be eligible for a subsidy to help you pay for health insurance. For more answers to your specific health insurance questions, visit http://www.TurboTaxAnswerXchange.com Thank you, Lisa Greene-Lewis Reply
useless dribble that you can get anywhere. The real questions are who exactly would have an impact, how much is the federal tax penalty if you dont want to turn your life over to thier system. Reply
I live in MA so we have already had this healthcare requirement and tax penalties in effect for awhile now. A lot of people can’t afford healthcare and have made the choice to just pay the penalty which in the end is a lot cheaper. Employers only have to pay a minimum of 33% in order to be compliant with the laws so a penalty of between $300-600 is nothing in comparison to the between $3000-$6000 you pay out in health ins each year Reply
My daughter will turn 26 on 12/30/13 and as I understand will no longer be covered by our health insurance. She is a registered nurse and had 1/2 yr income in 2013 until she enrolled full time in college for post graduate work. For 2014 she will ot have income. what is her best option for healthcare? Thank you Reply
I am 69 and retired. We are a family of 3. We live in the Philippines. My wife is 51 and my son is 16. They are both U S citizens. Do they have to get ObamaCare? Reply
Obamacare is nothing but another ‘Tax farm’ – that is an important historical term, please look it up: TAX FARM. Go to the Walgreens clinics, or buy into a Doctor co-op, and kick the commie insurance companies back to Eastern Poland. Reply
Most people have this entire arguement upsidedown, and let me tell you why: Medicine (at least in this country) is nothing but a religion where doctors are the priests. This is a subsidy to the doctor’s, not the patients. This is no marketplace, just a huge profit to the insurance companies. Smart doctors are figuring this out….look at QLIANCE in Seattle. They don’t accept insurance, you just pay the doctor $70/month and you see them as often as you want, without copays and deductables! With ‘Insurance’, if you have ‘prescription coverage’, you are paying more for your drugs than just getting generic! People, there is no such thing as a free lunch, please wisen up for all of our sake. Insurance only ‘insures’ the provider gets paid, it does not insure your health. This is nothing but an Orwellian move to control our lives more and more. I would appreciate it if Turbotax stood up to this fascism, and not be a trumpeter for this fiasco. Reply
Turbo Tax has their act together! Wouldn’t it be nice if the Obama administration did? Thank you Turbo Tax for your clearly informative presentation. I know I will feel much better using Turbo Tax AGAIN this coming tax season Reply
Our household income technically qualifies for some subsides for health insurance, but my employer offers qualified ‘affordable’ single coverage. My husband is stay at home and works very part time in a paid coaching position at a public school. He is not offered insurance. Would he (and our children) be able to get coverage seperately from me via the exchange with a subsidy since he isn’t offered coverage from his employer or, since he could be covered through my employer’s very expensive family coverage does he not have that option? (family of 3 soon to be 4 making around $60,000). Reply
Hi Lacey, Your husband and your children can get their coverage from the exchange. As long as the coverage offered by your employer for you qualifies as affordable, you will not be eligible for a subsidy to purchase your own policy. For additional answers to your specific health insurance questions, please visit http://www.TurboTaxAnswerXchange.com Thank you, Mary Ellen Reply
Unfortunately, if you qualify for your employer’s single plan, your husband and children will not qualify for any govt subsidies. Your options are: to purchase family coverage under your employer’s plan (hopefully with the employer paying a percentage – and the premiums paid reduce your taxable income); or purchasing the single coverage under your employer’s plan (since you are not eligible for Obamacare), and your family goes to the exchange and pays full fare – with no tax benefit. You will need to go to the public exchange to compare the two options (if and when the exchange website is working). Sorry – you are one of the many middle to lower income Americans who is being screwed by Obamacare. Reply
If my husband and I file “married filing separately” can we consider ourselves two households, if we live in the same house? Can we consider ourselves two households if we are married but live in two different homes? There’s a HUGE difference, $ wise. If we are one household (he’s a Vet, covered by the VA, so he’s fine) I will have to pay $500/m wf huge deductible. If we are two households, I get subsidy & would only pay $300/YEAR for the best coverage.. that’s enuf to have to consider.. !! Reply
Hi Dee, If you’re married, you must file a joint tax return for 2014 in order to get lower costs on Marketplace coverage based on your income in 2014. You can check out the marketplace for your state to confirm that this applies if you do not live together. For additional answers to your specific health insurance questions, please visit http://www.TurboTaxAnswerXchange.com Thank you, Mary Ellen Reply
My question pertains to income limitations to qualify for subsidies on health care premiums. I am looking for the definition for income as it pertains to these limitations as I am recently retired and receiving distributions from money that I earned / invested over many years. Do these distributions fall under the category of “income?” Reply
Hi Rick, Income is your adjusted gross income (the bottom line on page 1 of your long form tax return) plus non-taxable social security, non-taxable interest and foreign income. Taxable IRA, 401K and retirement distributions are part of your adjusted gross income, non-taxable distributions are not. For additional answers to your specific health insurance questions, please visit http://www.TurboTaxAnswerXchange.com Thank you, Mary Ellen Reply
Mary Ellen: agi,ln1 plus non-taxable ss? Do you add back the difference from ln 20a? Will turbo tax fix this as well?
Hi Ernie, For 2012 tax returns, you would use the amount on Form 1040, Line 37, plus the difference between lines 20a and 20b, plus line 8b, plus any excluded foreign income. TurboTax will make the proper calculations when you file your 2014 tax return in 2015. Thank you, Mary Ellen
If my employer offers insurance but it cost too much can I still go the Health Insurance Marketplace and get insurance. If not will I still b e able to get help paying for my insurance since I make under the amount that is required per single person? Reply
Hi Sarah, You can shop in the marketplace if you have employer provided insurance. Whether you receive assistance will depend on if your employer-provided insurance is “affordable” and “meets minimum value”. If your employer-provided insurance meets both qualifications, you won’t be able to get lower premiums in the Marketplace. Please see this link for more https://www.healthcare.gov/what-if-i-have-job-based-health-insurance/ For more answers to your specific questions, please visit TurboTaxAnswerXchange.com Thank you, Lisa Greene-Lewis Reply
What about those of us covered under the Veterans Health Insurance? How are we going to prove our health insurance through TurboTax? They dont hand out insurance cards or policy numbers. Reply
Hi Robert, According to the IRS Question and Answers on the Individual Shared Responsibility page – Insurers will be required to provide everyone that they cover each year with information that will help them demonstrate they had coverage beginning with the 2015 tax year. For additional answers to your specific health insurance questions, please visit http://www.TurboTaxAnswerXchange.com Thank you, Mary Ellen Reply
My husband has VA health coverage and is able to get an ID card now for the asking. Also, his healthcare acceptance paperwork has identifying info that can be used for tax purposes to demonstrate his coverage.
Hi Robert, If you are covered under the Veterans Health Insurance, they would report your insurance coverage information to the IRS. You would not have to prove you have insurance to TurboTax, but the software will be up to date with the tax law and will ask the necessary questions related to the tax law when you file you your 2014 taxes in 2015. For more answers to your specific health insurance questions please visit TurboTaxAnswerXchange.com Thank you, Lisa Greene-Lewis Reply
Thanks Lorie, the VA actually sent me a letter stating that I was enrolled and there was nothing else that I needed to do. Also I did find out that the VA does give me out cards with limited information that them. Thanks! Robert
How is Obamcare, or the Affordable Act going to help you? If you live off the government your all set, and the working people of this country will continue to support your lazy a–. My health insurance premiums are going is going up by 28%, and the deductible is now $6,000 a year. Obamacare is designed for one thing, and that is to destroy the United States. You low information voters have only yourselves to thank. When there are no more jobs, and the government no longer has money coming in from the working class, health care will the least of your concerns. Who cares if you have health care when you can’t afford to buy groceries(sorry you all have EBT cards), or pay the rent(again I am sorry you have government housing assistance). Reply
What about us working people who work 40 or more hours a week and have Medicaid because we are considered low income, because we are single parents who work hard struggling every day to support the child(ren) that we have due to another parents inability or unwillingness to pay the required child support to help support that child? Does that mean that we fall into your biased, close-minded frame of thinking and that we are all “lazy a-“? I’m sorry but not everyone is as arrogant, ignorant, chauvinistic, and pigheaded as you obviously are on your high and mighty throne that makes you think you are god. Reply
Where will you go, Somalia? Almost every country in the world has had socialized health care for many years. A friend of mine runs a one-man construction company. He says his health care premiums are going to be cut in half. He was paying for good coverage so that is an apple-to-apple comparison.
Hi, Just wondering how the household income in my case would be calculated. We’re a family of 3 (me, my husband and my 10 year old son) usually, but last year my mother in law moved in with us for the short term. Is her income included with our household, even though she shouldn’t be? She is moving out soon but i’m not sure that she will be gone before we have to apply for the new healthcare. Thanks! Reply
Hi Jessica, That is a great question. Your household income is made up of the income of the people who are claimed on your tax return. As long as your Mother in Law is required to file her own tax return, and she is not a dependent on your tax return, she is not counted as a member of your household and her income is not included in your household income. For additional answers to your specific health insurance questions, please visit http://www.TurboTaxAnswerXchange.com Thank you, Mary Ellen Reply
I have several questions no-one has been able to answer for me: 1) household income – for the exchange is this adjusted gross income or taxable income? 2) I buy my own insurance but my husband has none. He is self-employed & cannot afford it. Can we get insurance separately (him thru exchange & I keep mine)? 3) By using the exchange, does this give the government access to our personal health info? Reply
Hi Nadine, 1. Household income is a Modified adjusted gross income. Your adjusted gross income is modified by adding in non-taxable social security income, non-taxable interest, and foreign income. 2. You and your husband can have separate policies. He can get his through the exchange, using your household income. For additional answers to your specific health insurance questions, please visit http://www.TurboTaxAnswerXchange.com Thank you, Mary Ellen Reply
My 25-year-old daughter is on my employer-based health insurance. Will she be able to remain on my insurance until age 26 which is the current law? What will happen in May of 2014 when she turns 26? Will she need to get Marketplace insurance that’s effective on her 26th birthday? If so, when should she apply for that coverage? Thanks for your help. Reply
Hi Sharon, Your daughter has a little time to get insurance when she turns 26. She should be eligible for COBRA, and she can get insurance in the Marketplace. I think if she starts looking in April, she should have coverage by June. For additional answers to your specific health insurance questions, please visit http://www.TurboTaxAnswerXchange.com Thank you, Mary Ellen Reply
I am on Medicare and plan to also purchase an Advantage Plan. Would it be more beneficial to purchase something through the ACA website? Reply
Hi Kris, The best way to decide what is more beneficial is to to go your marketplace. Only plans purchased on the exchange are eligible for the payment assistance credit. For additional answers to your specific health insurance questions, please visit http://www.TurboTaxAnswerXchange.com Thank you, Mary Ellen Reply
I thought if you were going to be on medicare you couldn’t get insurance in the marketplace. Can you get a supplement then
I keep hearing people talk about the “employer mandate”, and how it is the provision of Obamacare that requires the employer to pay (not just offer) for medical insurance for employees at companies larger than 50 FT employees; effective 2015. One of the stipulations is that the mandate only pertains if the employer pays for other employees, so it’s a “what you do for one you do for all” concept. Is this true? Reply
Hi Marcus, There is no requirement that large employers pay 100% of the cost of medical coverage for their employees. There are provisions that require large employers to pay a penalty if even one of their full-time (30 or more hours per week) employees qualify for lower costs on their medical insurance on the Marketplace than what the employer offers. If the employee’s share of premium is 9.5% of household income or less, and the policy deductilbles and copays cover at least 60% of the total allowed costs of benefits provided under the plan, it is considered to be an affordable plan. Any plan offered on the Marketplace will meet these standards. There is no requirement that all benefits be equal, as long as the groups receiving a certain package of benefits is not selected to discriminate against legally protected classes, like age or race. For additional answers to your specific health insurance questions, please visit http://www.TurboTaxAnswerXchange.com Mary Ellen Reply
Hi Lisa, My question for Oct 9 seems to have disappeared from this thread so I’ll try again: My wife is a Cherokee Nation Citizen and receives all of her healthcare through the Cherokee Nation’s Healthcare System. Is she required to purchase additional coverage? (I am covered by the VA, Medicare and a private Supplemental Policy already). Reply
Hi Ken, Under the Affordable Care Act, she is exempt from purchasing health care through the Health Insurance Marketplace and you will not receive a penalty. Please see the below articles. https://www.healthcare.gov/if-im-an-american-indian-or-alaska-native-what-do-i-need-to-know-about-the-marketplace/ https://www.healthcare.gov/exemptions/ For more answers to your specific health care questions, please visit TurboTaxAnswerXchange.com Thank you, Lisa Greene-Lewis Reply
Everyone should have insurance, by doing this perhaps the insurance co. wont be able to charge so much problem, and at least you can find insurance. Reply
The clock-stoppers, the regressives, would have you believe 54 percent of Americans are against the ACA. Well, 18 percent (one-third of the antis) are progressives who desire a single-payer system. They’re against Obamacare because it doesn’t go far enough. That leaves 36 percent, and of those, clearly, half couldn’t tell you why they’re against it. So, that leaves 18 percent (i.e., the tea party) who don’t like our president, who was re-elected as a referendum for the ACA. Why the tea party doesn’t like BHO, I don’t know. I can’t quite put my finger on it. Don’t forget, comprehensive health care is an idea first put forth by the clockstoppers as a way to get the “bums” (you know, the 47 percent) to pay their fair share. Reply
get your head out of the sand, ostrich, the muslim obama will destroy this country thru socialism welfare, disability creating a nanny state and this health care will finalize it. Reply
John the bums will get it free now so what the heck are you talking about? I don’t belong to the tea party, and I know a lot of other people that don’t agree with this new so called Affordable Health care plan. Who is it affordable for the bums??? Give me a break. I’m middle class. I paid for my childrens insurance when they turned 26. I got a better plan with BCBS for them than this affordable health care plan. Do you really know what you are talking about?? I don’t think so. Reply
I’ve been informed by BlueCross BlueShield that my monthly premium will increase by 50%, my annual deductible will triple and my co-payment increases 50%. Can someone explain how I benefit from higher premiums and less coverage? Reply
THANK YOU! THAT’S WHAT I’M SAYING! And on less than 25k a year….? AND after I got laid off, and lost my benefits (health premiums that had gone up 60 percent) and lost my only income, COBRA was quoted as another 56 percent higher, in addition to… Who can handle that? Reply
yes Stan, but remember now everyone will have insurance (hahahaha) even if you can’t afford to pay for it. Reply
We can not afford insurance. My husband has it thru work but we can not affairs to add meat any price much less what they charge. No one should have ever been forced in to this. We would starve if we added me to a policy. Reply
I have been unemployed since May 2012 and have only a very small Social Security I took early at age 63. Will I have help if I can’t afford insurance? Reply
HI, Yes, you should qualify for Medicaid, or for assistance in paying for your medical insurance. Check out the Marketplace for your state. Applying there will let you know exactly what assistance you will receive. For additional answers to your specific health insurance questions, please visit http://www.TurboTaxAnswerXchange.com Thank you, Mary Ellen Reply