Health insurance is now required by law in California, and starting in 2020, those without it will face significant fines.
Though federal fines were cut to zero and the requirement to have insurance was ruled unconstitutional by a federal appeals court, it’s still the law in California.
Peter Lee is the Executive Director of Covered California. It’s the state’s umbrella organization to implement the Affordable Care Act, often called “Obamacare.”
Lee said the deadline to sign up for coverage that would start with the new year passed last Friday, but it’s still possible to get coverage that would start a month later.
“If you missed signing up for coverage, you can still sign up all the way through January 31st and you will have coverage, starting on Feb 1, you will not owe a penalty, even though you went a month without coverage.” Lee said.
The fines are new this year. Lee said they’re based on income and family size, starting at $700 for a single person and $2,000 for a family. If you don’t get coverage, you’ll get hit with them when you file your 2020 state income tax return.
While that may sound punitive, Lee said the potential expense of not having health coverage can be financially ruinous.
“The big penalty is showing up at the emergency room and walking out owing sixty grand. The whole point of the penalty isn’t to be mean, it isn’t to raise revenue for the state, it’s to nudge people to go to coveredca.com and find out how affordable health care can be.” Lee said.
You can find the state’s health insurance marketplace online at coveredca.com.