What Is the 1095 Health Insurance Tax Form?
Forms 1095-A, 1095-B, and 1095-C are used to report health insurance coverage to individuals and the IRS. Form 1095-A is necessary to complete Form...
Read moreCategory: Affordable Care Act
What Is a Medical Loss Ratio?
Medical loss ratio measures the percentage of a health plan's revenue that is spent on medical care and quality improvements, as opposed to...
Read more
What Is the ACA’s Employer Mandate?
The ACA employer mandate requires large businesses to offer comprehensive, affordable coverage to full-time employees or face potential penalties....
Read more
Enrolling in Individual Health Insurance With a Qualifying Event
Outside of open enrollment, you'll need a qualifying event in order to purchase a health insurance policy. Open enrollment in the individual...
Read more
Health Insurance Mandate
Learn about one of the more controversial parts of the health reform legislation: the issue of a health insurance mandate. One of the more...
Read more
What Is a Health Insurance Navigator?
Navigators provide outreach, enrollment assistance, and post-enrollment assistance to people who shop in the ACA-created health insurance exchanges....
Read more
Which States Run Their Own Health Insurance Exchanges?
Fourteen states and the District of Columbia run their own health insurance exchanges in 2021, and more are planning to join them in 2022. Under the...
Read more
Health Insurance Rule Changes for 2022
HHS finalized health insurance rule changes for 2022, including a longer open enrollment period and year-round enrollment for low-income applicants....
Read more
What Is Enhanced Direct Enrollment?
Enhanced direct enrollment allows consumers to enroll in health plans through the federally run exchange, but using a third-party website. Enhanced...
Read more
Understanding the Lawsuit That Could Overturn the ACA
Texas v. U.S. is a court case in which 18 GOP-led states are seeking to overturn the ACA. The case will eventually be heard by the Supreme Court....
Read more
Affordable Care Act and Obamacare
The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is a hot political topic. Learn more, from its benefits to what's important to know if you are covered under...
Read more
What Are Idaho's Enhanced Short-Term Health Plans?
Idaho's new enhanced short-term plans, available as of 2020, can be thought of as a hybrid of ACA-compliant plans and traditional short-term...
Read more
What You Need to Know Before You Buy Short-Term Health Insurance
Short-term health insurance plans are available in most states, and can be purchased throughout the year. But it's important to read the fine...
Read more
How Obamacare Changed Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance
The effects of the ACA are often discussed in terms of individual health insurance, but the law also made many changes to employer-sponsored...
Read more
What Is a 1332 Waiver?
1332 waivers—named after Section 1332 of the ACA—allow states to be innovative in their approach to healthcare reform. A 1332 waiver is a...
Read more
COVID/ARP-Related Special Enrollment Period for 2021 Health Insurance
To address COVID and the American Rescue Plan's additional subsidies, a unique special enrollment period runs through August 15, 2021 in most...
Read more
How Does Your Age Affect Your Health Insurance Premium?
The ACA requires individual and small group health plans to charge older enrollee no more than three times as much as younger enrollees. Health...
Read more
7 Things to Know About Grandmothered Health Plans
HHS has allowed states to decide whether grandmothered health plans may remain in force through 2022. Here are seven things to know about these...
Read more
No Asset Tests for ACA Subsidies
ACA premium tax credits & Medicaid expansion are based on income; they don't have an asset test. But neither does tax-advantaged job-based...
Read more
What Is Off-Exchange Health Insurance?
Off-exchange health insurance is coverage that is sold outside of the exchange. If it is individual major medical coverage, it is still...
Read more
ACA Internal and External Appeals for Health Plan Decisions
The Affordable Care Act’s internal and external appeal rights help ensure that consumers have recourse if a health plan makes an unfavorable...
Read more
State-Funded Health Insurance Subsidies: How Do They Work?
Although most health insurance subsidies come from the federal government, some states use their own funds to provide subsidies to eligible...
Read more
What Is ACA-Compliant Health Insurance?
The Affordable Care Act’s regulations vary depending on the type of health insurance and how it’s obtained. The Affordable Care Act (ACA, also...
Read more
Can You Go Without Health Insurance and Not Owe a Penalty?
The Obamacare individual mandate is still in place, but there's no longer a penalty for non-compliance—unless you're in a state with its...
Read more
Preventive Care: What's Free and What's Not
Health insurance must pay for certain preventive health care without a deductible, copay, or coinsurance. Learn which preventive services are and...
Read more
The Relationship Between Congress and Obamacare
For years, rumors have persisted that Congress exempted themselves from Obamacare. Not only is that false, but the law applies even more to them....
Read more
Why Not Wait Until I'm Sick to Buy Health Insurance?
Waiting to buy health insurance until you need it? There are many reasons why that plan won't work and won't save you money in the long run....
Read more
How the ACA's Family Glitch Can Make Health Insurance Unaffordable
Learn about how the family glitch in the Affordable Care Act has made affordable coverage out of reach for some individuals. For people who don't...
Read more