Enrollment Deadline for Obamacare is December 15th in order for coverage to begin January 1st 2017.  If you miss the opportunity to enroll in Marketplace it will not re-open until November 2017.  Once Marketplace closes you cannot enroll for healthcare coverage unless you have a special life event occur.  Special events are those such as a pregnancy, citizenship, your marital status changes, or loss of coverage through employer.  This prevents individuals from enrolling and dropping insurance throughout the years when they only fall ill.

A penalty will have to be paid for being uninsured if you have the following health plans these are not considered health care coverage:

• Insurance that will only cover you and your families vision and dental care
• Workers compensation received from your employer
• An insurance that names coverage for only a specific disease or condition
• An insurance plan that offers you only discounts on medical services provided to you

When purchasing health care coverage there are essential benefits that must be provided to individuals and their families such as

• Outpatient care
• Emergency care
• Hospitalization
• Pregnancy and newborn care
• Mental health and substance abuse services
• Prescription drugs
• Rehabilitation services and devices
• Lab tests
• Preventive and wellness services
• Dental and vision care for children

Enroll today and avoid paying a penalty of $695 per adult for going uninsured

Choosing not to meet enrollment deadline in Marketplace or purchase health coverage from other insurance companies can result in a fine.  The fine can range from 2.5% of your income or $695 per adult, whichever happens to be higher.  Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) are programs opened to enrollment at any time.  You and your family must sign up for health care coverage before enrollment deadline if you:

• Have not purchased health coverage through your employer or your spouse’s employer
• You do not have health coverage through government programs such as Veterans, Medicare and Medicaid
• You can no longer be on your parent’s health insurance because you are over the age of 26 years old
• Or if you qualify for tax credits to help you pay for health insurance coverage

During open enrollment you may not be required to purchase health coverage if you meet these hardship exemptions:

• Being uninsured for less than three months of the year
• A victim of domestic violence or suffered from a natural or human-caused disaster
• Unexpected expenses related to caring for an elderly, ill or disabled family member as well as death of a close family member
• Received an eviction notice or suffered bankruptcy
• Ineligible for Medicaid because your home state did not expand eligibility under Obamacare
• You are not in the U.S. legally, have either been detained or are in jail
• You have lived abroad for more than 330 days out of the year