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Millions Of Uninsured Americans Facing Tax Penalties

Jackie

Filing taxes is getting even more complicated for millions of Americans this year.

As part of the Affordable Care Act, those who failed to obtain healthcare coverage in 2014 must pay a penalty.

And, that includes thousands of Hoosiers.

Who Has To Pay The Penalty



Between flipping eggs as the executive chef at an Indiana University sorority and owning her own food truck, Jackie Howard doesn't have much time to rest.

"I'm definitely on my feet, running constantly," she says.

Going nonstop caused Howard to hurt her back last year. She was forced to take more than three weeks off work.

And she had to pay significant out-of-pocket expenses for medical care because she doesn't have insurance.

Howard qualifies for coverage through the federal marketplace, but decided it was too expensive.

"I found out that it was going to cost me a little over $300 a month to have health insurance, which is basically all the extra money I have in a given month," she says.

So, she rolled the dice.

But, now, in addition to the bills she's still paying off, she's facing a new expense – a penalty on her taxes.

"It's going to cost me about $400," Howard says. "That's about one-third to one-half of my typical refund, which is a huge hit. Like most people, I take that refund and make big purchases or most years it's actually my savings."

The H&R block in Standford is busy helping customers like Howard.

Tax preparer Lee Lincoln says lots of folks have come through their doors with questions about how much not getting healthcare coverage is going to cost them.

"People didn't know how much the penalty was going to be," he says. "Most of them were told it's $95. But, that would be $95 for every person in your tax household. Or, one percent of your income – whichever's higher. So, a lot of people who made $30,000, $40,000, $50,000 they may have $500, $1,000 penalties potentially."

But the Congressional Budget Office estimates about 23 million of the uninsured won't have to pay.

There are a number of exemptions.

Among them, people who don't make enough money to file a tax return don't have to pay the penalty. People who pay an insurance premium that exceeds 8 percent of their income are also exempt.

"There's a long list of others that are a little more arcane," Lee says. "I would say out in the counties here where there's a lot of farmers and such, a lot of people working factories or low paying jobs, most of them are not going to pay the penalty."

How Remaining Uninsured Could Impact Future Taxes



But some of the exemptions are only good for this year.

For example, people who had problems signing up because of website issues might not have to pay.

But they won't be able to rely on the same exemption for the 2015 tax year – when penalties double.

The fees will increase to $325 for each uninsured adult or 2 percent of a person's income – whichever is greater.

And that's a lot of money for people who say they can't afford insurance.

"I talked to a woman just the other day who's looking at an $835 fine based upon her income," says Cover Monroe President David Meyer. "And, her income was not high."

Meyer says that's why the ACA Volunteers of Monroe County are making a big push to get people covered by Feb. 15, when the open enrollment period ends.

Those who aren't insured by that deadline will face penalties on their 2015 taxes.

"We're asking them to do three things. And, that is first, find out how much it would cost to get health insurance. So, you figure out what is the value? What is the financial equation? What will it really cost me? The second point is find out if you're exempt from coverage. And, if you're exempt from coverage, find out what do I have to do to claim that exemption. And, the third question is, what will be my penalty?"

Meyer says once people have all of that information, it all comes down to one question – what's more valuable to each individual: health insurance or expendable income?

That's a question Howard has been asking herself as the deadline for open enrollment approaches.

"I'm reconsidering getting health insurance, I can't decide," she says. "I still can't afford it at over $300 a month and next year the penalty doubles and that could potentially be my entire refund. And, that's a big decision to make."

Cover Monroe has several events next week to help people sign up for coverage through the federal marketplace.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates about 30 million non-elderly residents will still be uninsured in 2016.

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