What Policies Are Covered As MEC?
Thanks to the Individual Shared Responsibility Provision of the Affordable Care Act, everyone needs to have health insurance that meets the minimum essential requirements. Although there are dozens of different plans and sources for insurance, ranging from employer-related care to government programs, the good news is that if you are on most of them then you don't have to worry about paying a fine for failing to get covered.
Sure, you may have a high deductible plan that only pays for health insurance after you've experienced a medical crisis and forked over several thousand dollars, but the plus side is that you are covered for the remainder and get free birth control pills no matter how old you are. Remember, for the purposes of our discussion the plans shown below meet the minimum requirement but may have other benefits or costs that are either favorable or unfavorable to the consumer. You might also want to review your options in case a VA plan offers more coverage than one from Medicare, or your situation would be better served with private insurance.
Specific Health Plans Not Enough!
Some of the plans not covered include those discount plans that get sold through the mail and don't really get you much of anything, the ones that only cover dental and vision insurance, and ones that pay for certain medical conditions but don't provide insurance for the whole range of maladies you may encounter throughout your lifetime.
Plans Listed
For some people, there is not any kind of insurance coverage necessary if they are able to jump through enough hoops or find themselves in an unusual situation. For example, if you can prove a financial hardship, religious objection to insurance, or if you can't get insurance cheaper than eight percent of what you earn, then you might be lucky. If you make so little that you can file, then you also are exempt but probably qualify for all kinds of coverage under Medicare, Medicaid, or state and local programs.