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I have spent my life savings on health insurance premiums over the past 10 years, waiting for North Carolina to expand Medicaid, paying $400 a month to Cigna instead of paying rent - and living in my car since July of 2008. Now all my money is gone, and today - December 1 is the first day in my life that I have no health insurance.
I seem to have only two choices - lying on my Heathcare.gov application about my income to bring it up to over 12,000 a year so I can get subsidies, or move to a state that has expanded Medicaid.
Does anyone know what happens if you put a higher income on your estimated application for ACA subsidies and then it turns out you end up well below the eligibility level?
You have to prove that income with pay stubs, tax returns, etc. If you claim that much income, you are required to file federal (and maybe state in NC?) taxes. If you didn't, well, that means you will have tax penalties. Do you need another problem?
Do you have an IRA? If so you can take enough out (a taxable event) to bring your income over $12k. You can move it to a Roth if you want to save it. If your income in NC is so low that you need to live in your car, a move should be a consideration.
Could anyone explain why you have to make at least 12k to qualify for the subsidy but if you make less than that you don't? This doesn't make sense? Why wouldn't OP that lives in his car qualify? I live in Tennessee and qualify for the subsidy , I believe that Tennessee did not expand Medicaid . If I were OP I would move to a state that you qualify , this is truly horrible for some folks I don't get it?
The ACA originally was planned such that states would be using medicare for the very poor. Several states, including NC decided they did not want to participate, just out of principal. Moving to a better medicare state, if you are eligible would be a good choice.
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.
If you're income is so low why don't you qualify for Medicaid now? What is the income limit in your state?
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.
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