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It is so upsetting to me to spend time on Healthcare.gov and see that I could get the same plan that has cost me everything after exhausting literally all of my money paying premiums - available for free after the subsidies would pay it all - only if my income were high enough. It just doesn't seem fair. Now after spending over 40-thousand-dollars over ten years - I am without any coverage and feel like it was all for nothing. How can the system be so unfair? I don't even think my car will make it to a distant state for the medicaid coverage. What state would I even have to drive to? I just found out that even Kentucky - which would be the closest - is changing, cutting-back and or doing away with their expansion coverage thanks to the Governor there. I am tired of seeing people abusing the safety-net system who all seem to be in a lot better situation than I am - all of whom seem to have all these benefits and I have none.
Virginia just had an election and many legislators who opposed the expansion of Medicaid through the ACA have been replaced. The voters want healthcare there for VA citizens so watch the developments early next year and perhaps you will be able to move there from NC.
NC has huge money reserves but the legislature is controlled by conservatives and the outlook for expansion of Medicaid looks grim.
I would move. New York State is a GREAT place to be impoverished or wealthy. I'm dead serious. I live in Orange County and there are a lot of income based apartments that aren't section 8 dumps. They are very nice but not sure if there are waits. You can get on Medicaid and food stamps fast.
Red states are good for the middle class but blue states are great for the poor and rich.
The OP is in North Carolina which did not expand Medicaid, so pre-ACA Medicaid rules apply. In these states (excluding Wisconsin), non-disabled adults under age 65 without dependent children are not eligible for Medicaid at any income level. See the link below for more information.
Believe me, I have spend hours and hours week after week, month after month, year after year researching everything there is to know about it - and the more I found out, the more outrageous and depressing it got. That's why after all that time, I am asking my original question - should I just lie and say I do lawn work or tutoring or something with no paper trail. Want to know what else really upsets me? I have been living on between 1 and 2 dollars every day for those 10 years eating unheated canned foods, water and bread literally while paying $10 to $11 a day for my insurance premium -only to constantly read and hear articles about rich people getting the subsidies. You can Google it if you don't believe me. Here's a link to just one of them:
Even if you say you work for cash, you are still required to file income taxes! And you'll have to pay Social Security taxes, too. You should forget the lying plan.
Even if you say you work for cash, you are still required to file income taxes! And you'll have to pay Social Security taxes, too. You should forget the lying plan.
Exactly this ^^^. You can be asked for actual pay stubs and your tax returns may come into play. The people in the article had to prove where their income came from - interest from the bonds.
This is the result of a sad glitch in the ACA. As it was set up, it was assumed that Medicaid would be available for everyone under the lower income cut-off for subsidies as the federal government was picking up the tab for the first few years. That got shot down and the states could decide themselves whether to extend Medicaid or not. We all saw what happened there . . . certainly not a "fair" situation.
Believe me, I have spend hours and hours week after week, month after month, year after year researching everything there is to know about it - and the more I found out, the more outrageous and depressing it got. That's why after all that time, I am asking my original question - should I just lie and say I do lawn work or tutoring or something with no paper trail. Want to know what else really upsets me? I have been living on between 1 and 2 dollars every day for those 10 years eating unheated canned foods, water and bread literally while paying $10 to $11 a day for my insurance premium -only to constantly read and hear articles about rich people getting the subsidies. You can Google it if you don't believe me. Here's a link to just one of them:
Sorry OP- I can't even begin to wrap my head around this predicament you are in. Surely this wasn't how the program was intended - you seem to be collateral damage- trying to do the right thing and got screwed.
What do you do for a "living"? (not that living in your car and eating cold canned food is much of a life).
If you can't somehow supplement your income to qualify for a subsidy you will have to get out of Dodge and head to a different state. I do know that if you can get to Washington State you would qualify for Apple care- Google it. Just don't head for Seattle- it's much too expensive then again if you are over 55 they do have some low income housing google SHAG communities. Again- In so sorry you are in the situation and wish you the best.
I am not understanding this. OP hasn't worked in 9 years, yet spent all of his savings on health care premiums instead of food or shelter, but would not have a penalty due to not working and no filing of income taxes. Seems like spending priorities are out of whack.
Why unemployed for 9 years? Is there a physical or mental reason for it? Any chance of getting disability which could then give you Medicare coverage?
Honesty is best. You may want to consider talking to an insurance agent that has had a history of selling major medical policies. In many cases, they know about all that’’s available and you may find that you are not completely informed about all your optionns. I am talking about independent agents and not agents with health insurance companies. They are private brick and mortar offices and a lot of people use them to buy independent plans that are not affiliated with the exchange and subsidies.
You have until the 15th of this month to choose an ACA approved plan. It is my understanding that people are predicting next year’s annual income when they list their income for a subsidy. They are not saying what they currently make. In your case, you may can choose the lowest amount allowed. It is very likely you will make that next year. If you do this, you would be given a premium based on that predicted low amount. When you get to the point that you are making more than what you reported, you have to let them know so that your subsidy and premium are adjusted to a higher rate. If later in the year, it goes down some, you report it again to have it adjusted again. If you don’t report the changes to your income, you will have to owe it or get refunded at tax filing time. Talk to an agent about this. This is my understanding that this is what people can do.
If you are a healthy person, have no preexisting conditions, and only need health insurance for the periodic cold or catestrophic event like an accident or appendix removal kind of thing, you may want to consider short term health insurance. They are not ACA approved and somewhat resemble pre-ACA plans. However, talk to an agent for details and read about the pros and cons online. The premiums are often less than ACA plans because they aren’t held to the same standards of coverage as ACA plans. You will still have to pay the penalty at tax time with these. You also have to renew them after so much time has gone by. This might, or might not, be a problem if you just had a medical incident before the renewal. You would have to check.
Another choice is a health sharing company. You do not pay the penalty at tax time, but they are not health insurance. You pay a low amount of money to share medical costs with others. The problem is they aren’t regulated and may be a risk for guaranteed coverage. They are usually faith based and won’t cover problems they see as related to sin like issues related to alcohol or illnesses obtained via immorality. You, sometimes, have to attend church. They seem to be liked by people who are healthy with no preexisting conditions and can’t afford real insurance. There is, at least, one that covers preexisting conditions after a time lapse, etc. You would have to check with the benefits of each company. You can enroll in a health sharing company any time of the year. Two are Medi-Share and Liberty HealthShare.
Again, use some time talking to some agents. They can let you know more about how all your options might work.
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