If you missed out on the open enrollment period for health insurance this year, then you may still be able to sign up, but time’s running out. The official enrollment deadline was Feb. 15, but some people are getting one last chance to sign up on the federal marketplace if they meet certain conditions. Government officials are offering an extension through April 30 for Americans who didn’t realize that they were going to be charged a penalty fee this year when they filed their taxes.
Last-Minute Extension
Due to general confusion about how the Affordable Care Act affects individual taxes, health officials are being lenient this year in allowing people to sign up for healthcare coverage two months after the official deadline. Next year, you may not find the same extension. How can you sign up? According to HealthCare.gov, you probably qualify for the special tax-season exemption if you meet all of the following parameters:
- You don’t currently have coverage of any kind, on or off the marketplace.
- You weren’t clear on your obligations under the ACA before the Feb. 15 deadline passed. In other words, the deadline passed, and you realized after the fact that you needed to sign up.
- You started filing your taxes for 2014 and learned that you would owe a penalty fee for not having insurance last year.
There are some caveats that come with the special enrollment period. For instance, you still have to pay the penalty fee for 2014 if you owe it. Also, this offer only applies to states that use the federal marketplace for insurance. State-based exchanges may not offer the same deal. Find out if your state extended their deadline to enroll like the federal marketplace here.
This extra enrollment period is to help you avoid having to pay the bulk of the fine for next year, which jumps to the greater of $325 or 2 percent of your taxable income. On the plus side, if just one of your family members qualifies for this enrollment period, then your whole family can take advantage of the deal. Also, you don’t have to have filed your taxes already to sign up during the extension. All you need to do is qualify based on the above factors. Go here to view plans and start enrolling. For Latio enrollment go here – Para la inscripción latina comenzar aquí.