I’m uninsured. Am I required to get health insurance? | KFF (2024)

FAQs

I’m uninsured. Am I required to get health insurance? | KFF? ›

New Jersey's Health Coverage Requirement

New Jersey, California, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and the District of Columbia require their residents to have health insurance coverage or face penalties. Vermont recommends that residents have coverage, but there's no noncompliance penalty.

Congress eliminated the federal tax penalty for not having health insurance, effective January 1, 2019. Several states have adopted individual mandates with state tax penalties for not having health insurance.

Under the New Jersey Health Insurance Market Preservation Act, New Jersey residents must have health insurance beginning January 1, 2019. People who don't have “minimum essential coverage” (MEC) may have to pay a penalty. This law is similar to the ACA individual mandate.

Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) cover an underserved area or population and offer primary care and additional health services on a sliding fee scale based on a patient's income. They accept private insurance but are required to offer services regardless of a patient's ability to pay.

Individual mandate vs employer sponsored plans

However, the federal individual mandate was effectively eliminated in 2019, meaning there is no longer a federal requirement for individuals to have health insurance. This change in the individual mandate does not impact employer-sponsored health insurance plans.

There currently is no federal law that makes health insurance a legal requirement. However, a few states across the U.S. make it mandatory to have healthcare coverage. If you live in a state where having health insurance is the law, you will have to pay a tax penalty for not complying.

If you don't have health insurance, you're at much greater risk of accumulating medical bills that you may not be able to pay. In a worst-case scenario, you could be sued and have your wages garnished. You might even be forced into bankruptcy.

On December 22, 2017, President Donald Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, which eliminated the federal tax penalty for violating the individual mandate, starting in 2019.

The comprehensive health care reform law enacted in March 2010 (sometimes known as ACA, PPACA, or “Obamacare”). A measure of income issued every year by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Does NJ penalize you for not having health insurance? ›

New Jersey's mandate, which mirrors the federal requirement, includes an annual penalty of 2.5 percent of a household's income or a per-person charge — whichever is higher.

The New Jersey Health Insurance Market Preservation Act requires most state residents to maintain health coverage. You and your tax household must have minimum essential health coverage, qualify for an exemption, or remit a Shared Responsibility Payment when you file your New Jersey Income Tax return.

Starting in 2019 there will no longer be a financial penalty for not having health insurance. However, there are still numerous financial and health related reasons to consider signing up for a low-cost-health insurance plan.

Sixty percent of governmental support for uncompensated care in hospitals is federal, through Medicare and Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments to general hospitals, a portion of Medicare payments for indirect medical education that supports services to medically indigent patients, and other ...

Without health insurance coverage, a serious accident or a health issue that results in emergency care and/or an expensive treatment plan can result in poor credit or even bankruptcy.

Car insurance is mandatory in almost every state. State minimums and coverage types vary, but nearly all states that mandate insurance require liability coverage for property damage and bodily injury. The sole exception is Florida, which only requires liability coverage for property damage, in addition to PIP coverage.

If you don't have health insurance, you're at much greater risk of accumulating medical bills that you may not be able to pay. In a worst-case scenario, you could be sued and have your wages garnished. You might even be forced into bankruptcy.

The Current Health Insurance Landscape in Florida

Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), individuals are required to have health insurance or face a potential penalty. However, the penalty was reduced to $0 starting in 2019.