{"id":43411,"date":"2021-10-13T09:30:34","date_gmt":"2021-10-13T13:30:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=43411"},"modified":"2024-01-10T16:44:04","modified_gmt":"2024-01-10T21:44:04","slug":"penalty-for-no-health-insurance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/penalty-for-no-health-insurance\/","title":{"rendered":"Is there a penalty for being uninsured?"},"content":{"rendered":"

When enacted, the Affordable Care Act included an individual federal mandate. Most U.S. citizens and legal residents were required to have health insurance\u2014or pay the penalty. This health insurance penalty was in effect in the tax years from 2014 through 2018, when the courts repealed it. They did not repeal the mandate, which remains in effect; however, there is no longer a federal financial penalty for not having insurance, making the mandate effectively unenforceable.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Is there a penalty for not having health insurance?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Too often, people learn that the personal penalty for not having health insurance is exorbitant healthcare bills. If you fall and break your leg, hospital and doctor bills can quickly reach <\/span>up to $7,500<\/span><\/a>\u2014for more complicated breaks that require surgery, you could owe tens of thousands of dollars. A three-day stay in the hospital might cost $30,000. More serious illnesses, such as cancer, can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Without health insurance, you are likely financially responsible for these bills. Almost two-thirds of people who file for bankruptcy indicate that medical bills contributed to their financial situation, according to a <\/span>2019 study<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Affordable Care Act increased the number of people with insurance and lowered the number of people who couldn’t afford to pay their health bills. While the federal health insurance coverage mandate and shared responsibility payment were in effect, from 2014 through 2018, the number of people in the United States who had health insurance increased by <\/span>around 20 million<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Since 2019, there is no federal penalty for not having health insurance,” says Brad Cummins, the founder and CEO of <\/span>Insurance Geek<\/span><\/a>. “However, certain states and jurisdictions have enacted their health insurance mandates.” The states with mandates and\/or penalties in effect are:<\/span><\/p>\n