January, 2015 | Carol A. Lawson

If I’m unemployed, do I have to pay the fee for not having coverage? Yes.

Like other Americans, you must have minimum essential coverage or pay a fee. This is true regardless of your employment status.

There are several exemptions from the fee that may apply to people who have no income or very low incomes. If you have an exemption, you don’t need to pay the fee for being uncovered.

Hardship Application Link: https://marketplace.cms.gov/applications-and-forms/hardship-exemption.pdf

The individual shared responsibility provision requires you and each member of your family to have basic health insurance coverage (also known as minimum essential coverage), qualify for an exemption, or make an individual shared responsibility payment when you file your federal income tax return.

How you get the exemption depends upon the type of exemption for which you are eligible. You can obtain some exemptions only from the Marketplace in the area where you live, others only from the IRS, and yet others from either the Marketplace or the IRS.

that can sometimes lead to bankruptcy.

If you must make an individual shared responsibility payment with your return, the annual payment amount is the greater of a percentage of your household income or a flat dollar amount, but is capped at the national average premium for a bronze level health plan available through the Marketplace. You will owe 1/12th of the annual payment for each month you or your dependent(s) don’t have either coverage or an exemption.

For 2014, the annual payment amount is:

The greater of:
- 1 percent of your household income that is above the tax return filing threshold for your filing status, or
- Your family’s flat dollar amount, which is $95 per adult and $47.50 per child, limited to a family maximum of $285,
But capped at the cost of the national average premium for a bronze level health plan available through the Marketplace in 2014. For 2014, the annual national average premium for a bronze level health plan available through the Marketplace is $2,448 per individual ($204 per month per individual), but $12,240 for a family with five or more members ($1,020 per month for a family with five or more members). See Rev. Proc. 2014-46.
http://www.irs.gov/Affordable-Care-Act/Individuals-and-Families/ACA-Individual-Shared-Responsibility-Provision-Calculating-the-Payment

http://www.irs.gov/Affordable-Care-Act/Individuals-and-Families/ACA-Individual-Shared-Responsibility-Provision-Exemptions

https://www.healthcare.gov/fees-exemptions/hardship-exemptions/

Epiphany, commonly known as Three Kings’ Day in the United States, is on January 6. It celebrates the three wise men’s visit to baby Jesus and also remembers his baptism, according to the Christian Bible’s events. The United States (US) Virgin Islands observe the day as a public holiday.

Epiphany marks the beginning of the Mardi Gras season in Louisiana. It is customary to bake king cakes during this time of the year. These cakes may include a small trinket (such as a baby doll) inside. The person who gets the piece of cake with the trinket receives various privileges or obligations. For example, they may be requested to provide the next king cake. The interval between Epiphany and Mardi Gras is sometimes known as “king cake season”.

Tarpon Springs’ colorful daylong celebration, often called the largest in the Western Hemisphere, draws as many as 20,000 Greek Orthodox Christians, locals and spectators from around the world for the retrieval of the Epiphany cross.

Carol A. Lawson, Esq., 28870 U.S. Hwy19 #300, Hodusa Towers, Clearwater, FL 33761 Phone: (727) 410-2705; email: calh@gate.net