Updated May 31 2018 Watch this short video on Obamacare subsidy to see if you qualify.   Also, keep this checklist below handy: You may qualify for premium tax credits, or subsidies, to help pay for your health insurance if your total Modified Adjusted Gross Income (or MAGI) is between 100% and 400% of the Federal Poverty Level (or FPL) and you meet these requirements: You live in the U.S. You are a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or lawfully present in the U.S. You are not currently incarcerated. You are not eligible for other minimum essential coverage. These subsidies are set on a sliding scale so that what you spend each month is limited to a defined percentage of your income, adjusted to the second least-expensive silver-level plan available in your area. In most cases, people who earn 400% or below the federal poverty level for their household size, are eligible for subsidies. Government subsidies can only be determined by the governing body in your area. The dollar value of your subsidies will depend in part on the cost of the benchmark Obamacare plan in your area.  If the benchmark plan costs more than a certain percentage of your estimated annual income, you can get a subsidy in the amount of the difference. You may then use that subsidy when you buy a qualified Obamacare health insurance plan. In order to calculate your Obamacare subsidy amount, the following variables are considered: Your estimated household income for the year The cost of plans in your area. ACA considers health insurance unaffordable when annual premiums for the lowest priced plan costs more than 8.16% of your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI).  

Updated June 7, 2018 Under the Affordable Care Act rules, to be eligible for a subsidy your income needs to fall within 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level – that’s approximately $12,000-$48,00 for an individual or $24,000-$98,000 for a family of four (Alaska and Hawaii have different thresholds). If you fall below these guidelines it’s possible you may qualify for Medicaid. Otherwise, it’s important to know there are other more affordable and limited coverage alternatives to the ACA; such options include short-term health insurance, accident, or what we at eHealth call medical insurance packages (these combine a number of different non-ACA products into one). These alternatives to the ACA aren’t eligible for government subsidies, don’t meet the coverage requirements for ACA plans, and don’t count as qualified health insurance if you’re subject to the ACA tax penalty, but these alternatives are also generally less expensive and may be a good fit for your budget and needs. We recommend speaking with a licensed agent to review the options available in your area, and help you in choosing the coverage that best meets your needs.

To understand more about tax penalty under Affordable Care Act, view our short video here. You can buy insurance for your kids without insuring yourself, but you and your spouse will be subject to a tax penalty if you do not have qualifying health coverage. When it comes to buying insurance for your kids, since January 1, 2014, the Affordable Care Act has required any insurer that offers a metallic level plan to an individual adult must also make that plan available to an individual child -- provided the child has not reached his or her 21st birthday at the beginning of the plan year.

The Affordable Care Act did make some changes to Health Savings Accounts -- also called HSAs -- and how they will work: First, the law eliminated a person's ability to use money in his or her HSA account to buy over-the-counter drugs. The second big change is that the law increased the penalty for withdrawing funds from your HSA before you reach age 65. The early withdrawal penalty increased from 10% to 20%.

Updated June 5, 2018.  Watch our short video on subsidy eligibility. This infographic below shows a checklist of documents that you would need for your subsidy application process. There are eligibility requirements if a person wants to receive subsidies to help them pay for their health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. To qualify, a person must: Live in the U.S. Be a U.S. citizen or national, or be lawfully present in the U.S. Have a household income between 100% and 400% of the Federal Poverty Level. Cannot be currently incarcerated. Cannot be eligible for other minimum essential coverage (for example: Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, employer-sponsored coverage). If you do not meet these requirements, you may still apply for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, but you would not qualify for government subsidies to help you pay for the coverage.

Updated June 7, 2018 Watch this short video on pre-existing condition under Obamacare. Since January 1, 2014, insurance companies have not been allowed to charge higher rates to people within the same age group based on their gender or health status -- said another way, you can't be charged a higher price for health insurance because you're a woman or because you have a health condition. If you buy your own health insurance now, your application for coverage cannot be declined because you have a pre-existing condition or for any other health related reason. Insurers can only price plans based on four factors: Your age: The oldest person can only be charged three times more than the youngest person for the same plan. Where you live: The price to deliver care changes from city to city and state to state. The size of your family. Your tobacco use: A smoker can be charged up to 50% more for the same plan as a non-smoker.

Most likely. What we've seen indicates that people who lose their jobs will have the option to stay on their employers' health insurance plans for up to 18 months -- which is essentially how COBRA works. What's nice about the Affordable Care Act is that it gives people on COBRA the ability to apply for individual coverage without concern that their application can be declined. And people who opt out of COBRA and buy an individual insurance policy may qualify for low-income subsidies to help them pay for cost of their plan.

Maternity coverage is one of the ten essential health benefits that must be covered by all health insurance plans. If you do not already have coverage under a major medical health plan, you will be able to purchase a policy once your baby is born. The birth of your baby is considered a qualifying life event, and triggers a 60-day special enrollment period during which you, your spouse, and your children can enroll in and/or change health plans. Additionally, you can always enroll in or change to a different health plan during the National Open Enrollment Period. If you do not currently have major medical coverage, we have supplemental coverage options available, but they typically do not include prenatal care. Another option would be to contact your state Medicaid office as some states offer coverage for expectant mothers through Medicaid.