Am I required to have health coverage?
Through tax year 2018, if anyone in the taxpayer’s tax household did not have minimum essential coverage, and did not qualify for a coverage exemption, the taxpayer needed to make an individual shared responsibility payment when filing a federal income tax return.
Enacted in December 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) reduced the shared responsibility payment to zero for tax year 2019 and all subsequent years. For January 1, 2019 and beyond, taxpayers are still required by law to have minimum essential coverage or qualify for a coverage exemption. However, under the TCJA, you no longer need to make a shared responsibility payment or file Form 8965 with your tax return if you don’t have minimum essential coverage for part or all of 2019.
More information can be found at www.healthcare.gov and http://www.irs.gov/uac/Questions-and-Answers-on-the-Individual-Shared-Responsibility-Provision.
If I am covered by the CITGO health plan, will I satisfy the new individual coverage requirement?
Yes. The CITGO health plan counts as “minimum essential coverage,” the kind of coverage you have to have to meet the requirement under the ACA.
Do I have to get health coverage for other members of my family?
No. You, your spouse and your dependent children do not have to be covered under the same policy or plan. However, you, your spouse and each dependent child for whom you may claim a personal exemption on your federal income tax return must have minimum essential coverage or qualify for an exemption, or you will owe a shared responsibility payment when you file a return. More information on this requirement, including information on how it applies to family members, may be found at www.healthcare.gov and http://www.irs.gov/uac/Questions-and-Answers-on-the-Individual-Shared-Responsibility-Provision.
If I can get health benefits from another source (like Medicare, the veterans’ health system, or my spouse’s health plan), do I have to take the CITGO health coverage instead?
No. You are not required to enroll in the CITGO health plan. More information may be found at www.healthcare.gov and http://www.irs.gov/uac/Questions-and-Answers-on-the-Individual-Shared-Responsibility-Provision.
What do I do about getting health coverage if I am not eligible for the CITGO health plan?
Information about how to get health coverage may be found on www.healthcare.gov.