Questions about ACA: Hardship Exemption

Health and Human Services released new guidance for a hardship exemption on tax returns for those finding themselves in the Medicaid gap.  With the failure to expand Medicaid and 25% of Americans in the Medicaid Gap in Texas, this exemption is particularly important for Texans, especially for those working poor who didn't previously get their denial from the marketplace.  

You may qualify for the exemption if:

1. You were homeless
2. You were evicted in the past 6 months or were facing eviction or foreclosure
3. You received a shut-off notice from a utility company
4. You recently experienced domestic violence
5. You recently experienced the death of a close family member
6. You experienced a fire, flood, or other natural or human-caused disaster that caused substantial damage to your property
7. You filed for bankruptcy in the last 6 months
8. You had medical expenses you couldn’t pay in the last 24 months that resulted in substantial debt
9. You experienced unexpected increases in necessary expenses due to caring for an ill, disabled, or aging family member
10. You expect to claim a child as a tax dependent who’s been denied coverage in Medicaid and CHIP, and another person is required by court order to give medical support to the child. In this case, you don't have the pay the penalty for the child.
11. As a result of an eligibility appeals decision, you’re eligible for enrollment in a qualified health plan (QHP) through the Marketplace, lower costs on your monthly premiums, or cost-sharing reductions for a time period when you weren’t enrolled in a QHP through the Marketplace
12. You were determined ineligible for Medicaid because your state didn’t expand eligibility for Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act
13. Your individual insurance plan was cancelled and you believe other Marketplace plans are unaffordable
14. You experienced another hardship in obtaining health insurance

For more information see: Health Care Exemptions

(Information from Healthcare.gov)