Does California Require Health Insurance?

Starting with 2019, the individual healthcare mandate instituted by Obamacare was no longer valid on a federal level. As a result, federal law does not require people to find a health insurance provider.

That being said, different regulations on healthcare can exist on a state level; which is why the District of Columbia and five states have decided to implement an individual mandate on their own. Those states are:

Rhode Island
California
Vermont
New Jersey
Massachusetts
and Washington D.C.

As you can see, California requires health insurance. There’s no need to worry, though. As a citizen of the Golden State, you can use Affordable Care California to find the very best options among health insurance brokers and providers in California! And if you want to learn more about the health insurance requirements in California in 2021, read on!

California Individual Mandate

Since the start of 2020, the individual healthcare mandate has been in effect in California. In other words, this means that all individuals and any related dependents are now required to find health insurance compliant with the Affordable Care Act.

In case you’re a Californian who can afford healthcare under the Affordable Care Act but doesn’t have it, you are likely to suffer a tax penalty. Conversely, there are also state subsidies for people who earn a lower income, so that they can afford their own health insurance.

Now, there are two types of tax penalties you can suffer:

Yearly tax penalty of 2.5% of your entire household income
Or $375 per child and almost $700 per adult.

These two tax penalties are mutually exclusive, and Californian citizens without healthcare incur the one that is greater for them. It has also been mentioned that these prices will rise according to inflation, meaning that they’re only going to get bigger.

This makes it even more urgent for you to find decent health coverage in California. And there are plenty of options out there! There’s a state exchange for healthcare dubbed Covered California; though, finding the best option there can be a difficult proposition for some people. That’s why Affordable Care California is there to help you find your best-fitting provider more easily!

Enrollment For Healthcare in 2021

Every year, there’s an open enrollment period for healthcare plans in the state of California. It usually lasts until the end of January, though it has been protracted in the past. However, 2021 is a special exception — due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation, the Biden administration has made a decision to prolong the nation-wide enrollment period.

As a result, Covered California has also announced a special COVID-triggered enrollment period for those state residents without health insurance. This period lasts until May 15, 2021, but has already been further prolonged until the end of the year. It is estimated that more than a million uninsured California residents will be able to obtain premium subsidies.

Furthermore, the federal government recently put the American Rescue Plan into effect; allowing those enrolled in the healthcare marketplace to obtain additional subsidies. All of this has resulted in one thing — healthcare coverage is now more affordable than ever before. And seeing as the alternative is facing a tax penalty, there’s more reason than ever to choose your California health coverage plan.

Bear in mind that, as an unsubsidized and uninsured California resident, you won’t be required to prove your experiencing of a qualifying event — at least during 2021’s special enrollment period. And with Affordable Care California, you will have the easiest time finding the most cost-effective coverage ever! Make sure not to miss this opportunity.

Avoiding Tax Penalties

As you probably know already, it’s important to ensure that rapidly changing circumstances in California do not catch you off-guard. And this is especially evident lately, considering the wildfires and the pandemic.

If you want to maintain your financial stability and personal well-being, finding health insurance will be a priority for yourself and your household. Remember, this is crucial if you want to:

Avoid sometimes prohibitively high expenses for medical care
Avoid the tax penalty triggered by a lack of health insurance in California

Does California require health insurance? Yes, it does. And can you get it easily? With the combination of government subsidies, special enrollment periods, and the help of Affordable Care California — absolutely!

To us, it doesn’t matter if you’re someone who has retired early, someone who is self-employed, or just down on their luck and between two jobs; we can still assist you in finding a healthcare plan that is simultaneously affordable and meets your precise needs.

Once you visit affordablecarecalifornia.org, you will be able to quickly and easily get quotes from a wide variety of health insurance providers operating in California. That way, you can get a great overview of different pricing from the quotes; greatly simplifying your choice of a healthcare plan.

Don’t waste time, effort, or energy stressing out about finding the right healthcare coverage. With our assistance, you will easily circumvent the dangers of tax penalties and a life without decent health coverage — all you need to do is to contact us, and we’ll do the hard part!