Health insurance was always a major issue in the US. As of January 1, 2014 more than 1million people, that never had insurance before, are now covered by health insurance plans.
The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare allows everyone to enroll into a health insurance plan of their choice. The NY State of Health website, also known as the “Health Marketplace," where eligible New Yorkers will be able to look for health insurance options, calculate premiums and purchase insurance. Open Enrollment started on October 1, 2013 and is still running untill March 31, 2014. Your eligible patients could have health insurance starting as soon as February 1, 2014.
Penalties for not having insurance will apply once tax season comes around. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires that everyone enroll into a health insurance plan beginning in 2014 or pay a penalties when doing their taxes. Although there are some exceptions, there are very few exemptions to this rule.
In 2014 for the first year, an adult could face a penalty of $95 or 1% of income, whichever is higher.
Source: www.cms.gov
