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Are you exempt from Obamacare's individual mandate?
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as Obamacare, generally requires individuals to maintain a minimum level of health insurance beginning January 1, 2014. Most of those who choose not to meet the law's requirements will have to pay a penalty.
But among the Affordable Care Act's many nuances are explicit exemptions for certain groups of people who do not have to abide by Obamacare's provisions. So who exactly is exempt from Obamacare's mandate?
9 Types of Obamacare Exemptions
As we explained earlier this week, Obamacare (the bill) spells out changes and additions to various parts of the United States Code. The most important changes are to Title 42 of the U.S. Code (Public Health and Welfare) and Title 26 (the Internal Revenue Code, aka the tax code).
Obamacare's exemptions are codified in Section 5000A of the tax code. There are nine explicit exemptions.
According to the law, the people who do not have to comply with Obamacare's mandate, and who will not face any penalty for noncompliance, are:
Claiming Your Exemption
If you think you may qualify for one of these Obamacare exemptions, the method for claiming it varies, according to the IRS.
For example, to claim a hardship exemption, it must be granted by the Health Insurance Marketplace that covers your state. Other exemptions, such as for those who don't have to file a federal tax return, don't require any action at all.
Tomorrow in our "Understanding Obamacare" series, we'll explain how the new health care law affects Medicare.
-- FindLaw Blog Writer Betty Wang contributed to this post.
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