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Even if you are not paying attention to what is exactly going on with the Health Care Reform (ACA or Obamacare or whatever you want to call), it WILL affect you—one way or the other. If you are not enrolled in any of the plans by MARCH 31, 2014, you will have to pay a PENALTY, which increases significantly in 2015 and later. The penalty is 1% of your income in 2014, 2% in 2015 and 2.5% in 2016 and thereafter.
One of the big changes brought about by the ACA—and affects a lot of immigrants—is the expansion of Medicaid. About half of states (those controlled mostly by democrats) have expanded Medicaid while others have refused. There are a couple of states that are still considering expanding Medicaid. Pennsylvania, for example, is still considering the expansion. Regardless of whether a state has expanded its Medicaid program or not, you MUST have some kind of coverage by March 31, 2014.
I will put the income and eligibility chart at the bottom of this post to help you determine if you qualify for Medicaid (including the expanded elligibility) or not.
So what you need to do:
If you are going to maintain coverage through your employer, are currently enrolled in Medicaid (with no significant change in income next year), or have some other means of coverage that is going to continue into next year, you do not need to do anything
If you are outside the Medicaid income eligibility and do not have the coverage through the employer, you need to think about getting a plan from the Health Insurance Exchange (from state site or federal depending upon the state) to see what option best fits your needs. You need to enroll by March 31, 2014 to not incur any penalty.
By no means, this is the the only change under Obamacare. This is just one change that impacts a lot of people, including a lot of immigrants. For example, there are a whole host of issues for small businesses to consider under the reform.
Medicaid Elligibility Chart
