Special enrollment period for those without health insurance and facing penalty in April
Access Health CT, the state’s online health insurance marketplace, today announced a special enrollment period for those who did not have health care coverage in 2014 and are subject to a tax penalty on their 2014 federal taxes.www.accesshealthct.com, via the Access Health CT mobile app, or via phone at (855) 805-4325.
This special enrollment period will allow individuals and families who were unaware or didn’t understand the implications of the health care requirement to enroll in coverage for 2015. The special enrollment period will begin April 1 and continue through midnight on April 30.
“Our goal from day one has been to ensure that every Connecticut resident who wants health care coverage is able to access a quality, affordable plan through Access Health CT,” Jim Wadleigh, Access Health CT chief executive officer, said in a news release. “Since this is the first tax filing season where consumers may have to pay a penalty or claim an exemption for not having health care coverage, we want to make sure those who were not aware or did not understand the requirement have an opportunity to obtain coverage and avoid the tax penalty next year.”
To be eligible for this special enrollment, individuals must be currently uninsured and not enrolled in coverage for 2015, and:
• attest that when they filed their 2014 tax return they paid the tax penalty for not having health coverage in 2014
• attest that they first became aware of, or understood the implications of, the Shared Responsibility Payment after the end of open enrollment Feb. 15 in connection with preparing their 2014 taxes.
Consumers who are eligible for this special enrollment period may enroll at:
Those who do not qualify for an exemption and went without health care coverage in 2014 will have to pay a penalty – $95 per adult or 1 percent of their income, whichever is greater – when they file their taxes this year, Access Health CT said.
The tax penalty increases to $325 per adult, or two percent of income, for 2015. Individuals taking advantage of this special enrollment period will still owe a penalty for the months they were uninsured and did not receive an exemption in 2014 and 2015, the news release said. This special enrollment period is designed to allow these people the opportunity to get covered for the remainder of the year and avoid additional penalties for 2015.
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