Obamacare

The official name for “ObamaCare” is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), or Affordable Care Act (ACA) for short.

APTC 

Tax subsidies: (APTC- Advanced Premium Tax Credit) If you get your health insurance coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace, you may be eligible for the premium tax credit. This tax credit can help make purchasing health insurance coverage more affordable for people with moderate incomes. Each year the Health Insurance Marketplace has an open enrollment period. The open enrollment period to purchase health care insurance for 2015 closed on Feb. 15, 2015. However, the federally-facilitated Marketplace has announced special enrollment period from March 15 through April 30, 2015.

1095-A: Your 1095-A shows what Covered California paid to your insurance company in 2014 to help you with the cost of your health coverage. The amount paid was based on the income information and household size you provided. If your income changed, you may have paid too much or too little for your health coverage. As a result you may have to pay back some or all of the APCT when you file your taxes or on the other hand may receive a refund if you paid too much towards your coverage. It is very important to accurate report or annual income as well to update your income as it changes throughout the year.

Getting Covered Outside of the Open-Enrollment Period

Open enrollment for 2015 coverage ended Feb. 15. Once open enrollment has ended, consumers can enroll in a Covered California health insurance plan only if they have experienced a qualifying life event. Consumers can enroll in Medi-Cal at any time.

Life Event – Special Enrollment

Below is a list of common types of qualifying life events for special enrollment that apply year-round.

• Losing health coverage. For example, consumers are no longer eligible for Medi-Cal, or they lose health coverage through their job.
• Income changes so much that a consumer becomes newly eligible or ineligible for help paying for their insurance. For example, if a consumer is already getting help paying for their insurance premium, and their income goes down, they may be able to get extra help.
• Turning 26 years old and are no longer eligible to stay on your parents’ plan.
• Change in place of residency, which allows a consumer to gain access to new Covered California health insurance plans. This includes moving to California from another state. This also applies to individuals who are released from jail or prison.
• Having a child or adopting a child, receiving a child into foster care, or placing a child in adoption or in a foster home.
• Getting married or entering into a domestic partnership.
• Becoming citizens, national or lawfully present individuals. This event applies only to people who were not previously citizens, nationals or lawfully present.