OBAMACARE PENALTIES & EXEMPTIONS

This story originally appeared at Yahoo News.

MIAMI (AP) — Federal officials have capped the amount of money scofflaws will be forced to pay if they don't buy insurance this year at $2,448 per person and $12,240 for a family of five.

The amount is equal to the national average annual premium for a bronze level health plan. But only those with an income above about a quarter of a million dollars would benefit from the cap. Those making less would still have to pay as much as 1 percent of their annual income.

The penalty for the first year starts at $95 per adult or $47.50 per child under 18. The penalty for not buying insurance increases to 2 percent of income or $325, whichever is higher, for 2015. The fines are due when people file their 2014 taxes.

The figures, released late Thursday, are important because the White House has only provided theoretical caps in the past. Conservative lawmakers and groups that are critical of the Affordable Care Act encouraged consumers to skip buying insurance, arguing it would be cheaper to pay a $95 penalty, but often failed to mention the 1 percent clause.

The uninsured will owe 1/12th of the annual payment for each month they or their dependents don't have either coverage or an exemption, according to the IRS.

Federal researchers predict that about 4 million people, including dependents, could be hit with fines by 2016. The Congressional Budget Office had previously projected 6 million would pay fines, but dropped the estimate because more people will be exempt from the law, partly due to changes in regulations.

More than 8 million people signed up for insurance under the Affordable Care Act and many Americans already had insurance through their employers and were not affected by the fine.

If someone is due a tax refund, the IRS can deduct the penalty from the refund. Otherwise, the IRS will let people know what's owed or hold back the amount of the penalty fee from future tax refunds, but there are no liens or criminal penalties for failing to pay.

Some residents, including prison inmates, are exempt from the penalties and others can file for hardship conditions. If people don't earn enough money to have to file a federal tax form, they don't have to buy coverage. The threshold for filing a federal tax return is $10,150.

Premium prices vary widely based on age, gender and zip code so the premium for a bronze plan in South Florida could be much different than the cost of a bronze plan in Kansas.

EXEMPTIONS?

Yes.  There are ways to avoid the penalties.  You have to apply for a "Hardship Exemption."  According to government’s “Application for Exemption from the Shared Responsibility Payment for Individuals who Experience Hardships,” you can request a hardship exemption if:

• You were homeless.
• You were evicted in the past 6 months or were facing eviction or foreclosure.
• You received a shut-off notice from a utility
• You recently experienced domestic violence.
• You recently experienced the death of a close family member.
• You experienced a fire, flood, or other natural human-caused disaster that caused substantial damage to your property.
• You filed for bankruptcy in the last 6 months.
• You had medical expenses you couldn’t pay in the last 24 months.
• You experienced unexpected increases in necessary expenses due to caring for an ill, disabled, or aging family member.
• You expect to claim a child as a tax dependent who’s been denied coverage in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and another person is required by court order to give medical support to the child.
• As a result of an eligibility appeals decision, you’re eligible either for: 1) enrollment in a qualified health plan (QHP) through the Marketplace, 2) lower costs on your monthly premiums, or 3) cost-sharing reductions for a time period when you weren’t enrolled in a QHP through the Marketplace.
• You were determined ineligible for Medicaid because your state didn’t expand eligibility for Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.
• You received a notice saying that your current health insurance plan is being cancelled, and you consider the other plans available unaffordable.
• You experienced another hardship in obtaining health insurance.

The last category merely says to “please submit documentation if possible.” After sending in their signed application, applicants, if approved, will receive an “Exemption Certificate Number” to put on their federal income tax return.