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 Can you defend the current ACA? 

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 FROM; US.GOV’s Website:

If you don’t have health insurance: How much you’ll pay

If you can afford health insurance but choose not to buy it, you must pay a fee called the individual shared responsibility payment. (The fee is sometimes called the "penalty," "fine," or "individual mandate.") The government will determine if you can afford!

·        You owe the fee for any month you, your spouse, or your tax dependents don’t have qualifying health coverage (sometimes called "minimum essential coverage"). See all insurance types that qualify. The government determines the Types.

·        You pay the fee when you file your federal tax return for the year you don’t have coverage. If you do not calculate your tax early in the year watch for your April 15 surprise. They will tell you what you should have paid.

·        In some cases, you may qualify for a health coverage exemption from the requirement to have insurance. If you qualify, you won’t have to pay the fee. Learn about health coverage exemptions.

{Examples of qualifying health coverage

If you're covered by any of the following types of plans, you're considered covered under the health care law and don't have to pay a penalty.

·        Any health plan bought through the Health Insurance Marketplace

·        Individual health plans bought outside the Health Insurance Marketplace, if they meet the standards for qualified health plans

·        Any “grandfathered” individual insurance plan you’ve had since March 23, 2010 or earlier

·        Any job-based plan, including retiree plans and COBRA coverage

·        Medicare Part A or Part C (but Part B coverage by itself doesn’t qualify)

·        Most Medicaid coverage, except for limited coverage plans

·        The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)

·        Coverage under a parent’s plan

·        Most student health plans (check with your school to see if the plan counts as qualifying health coverage)

·        Health coverage for Peace Corps volunteers

·        Certain types of veterans health coverage through the Department of Veterans Affairs

·        Most TRICARE plans

·        Department of Defense Nonappropriated Fund Health Benefits Program

·        Refugee Medical Assistance

·        State high-risk pools for plan or policy years that started on or before December 31, 2014 (check with your high-risk pool plan to see if it counts as qualifying health coverage)

See a more detailed list of types of plans that do and don’t count as qualifying health coverage from the IRS.

Health plans that don't count as coverage

Some products that help pay for medical services don't qualify. If you have only this kind of product, you may have to pay the fee. Examples include:

·        Coverage only for vision care or dental care

·        Workers' compensation

·        Coverage only for a specific disease or condition

·        Plans that offer only discounts on medical services

More answers

What if I have qualifying health coverage for just part of the year?

The penalty is 1/12 of the annual amount for each month you or your tax dependents don’t have coverage. If you’re uncovered only 1 or 2 months, you don’t have to pay the fee at all. Learn about the “short gap” exemption.

What if I buy an individual plan outside the Marketplace? Will I have to pay the fee?

Learn more about the individual shared responsibility payment from the Internal Revenue Service.

The fee for not having health insurance in 2016 & 2017

The fee is calculated 2 different ways – as a percentage of your household income, and per person. You’ll pay whichever is higher.

Percentage of income

·        2.5% of household income;  (.025 x $1000 =$25) or a $50,000 income >> $1,250

·        Maximum: Total yearly premium for the national average price of a Bronze plan sold through the Marketplace

Per person

·        $695 per adult

·        $347.50 per child under 18

·        Maximum: $2,085

Paying the fee

·        Using the percentage method, only the part of your household income that’s above the yearly tax filing requirement is counted.

·        Using the per-person method, you pay only for people in your household who don’t have insurance coverage.

·        If you have coverage for part of the year, the fee is 1/12 of the annual amount for each month you (or your tax dependents) don’t have coverage. If you’re uncovered only 1 or 2 months, you don’t have to pay the fee at all. Learn about the “short gap” exemption.

·        You pay the fee when you file your federal tax return for the year you don’t have coverage.

Estimating your fee

Use this IRS tool to estimate your individual responsibility payment.

More answers: The penalty for not having health insurance

If I'm unemployed, do I have to pay the fee?

It depends on your household income. If insurance is unaffordable to you based on your income, you may qualify for an exemption from the fee. Other exemptions are based on low income too. Learn more about exemptions and how to claim them.

What happens if I don't pay the fee?

What if I buy an individual plan outside the Marketplace? Will I have to pay the fee?

Any plan that meets the standards for qualifying health coverage counts under the health care law. If it does, you won't have to pay the fee. This is where the Little Sisters of the poor were punished. Why must you pay for birth care if you do not want it?

You can buy qualifying health coverage directly from an insurance company, from an online seller, or through an agent or broker. But the government has set the rules.

Before you buy, be sure to find out if the plan you’re interested in qualifies.