New Yorkers without health insurance have until the end of the month to get coverage. Officials from the state’s health exchange want uninsured individuals with tax penalties to sign up.
The state health department is asking tax preparers to remind their clients of the Special Enrollment Period.
Kathy Kaufman, Enrollment Program Director for FamiliesUSA, finds many people still without health coverage didn’t realize the impact on this year’s tax season.
“More consumers are enrolling during the special enrollment period, but not huge numbers of them. So, I think there’s still more work to do to make sure that consumers, particularly those who end up needing to pay a penalty, are aware of the options they have,” said Kaufman.
Overall, the Affordable Care Act has gotten more people connected with coverage. A recent Gallup poll showed the nationwide rate of uninsured Americans is less than 12 percent, close to 1 in ten.
According to Kaufman, it’s states like New York, that expanded Medicaid that are seeing the biggest gains in the numbers of insured residents. “The fact that over 2 million New Yorkers now have health coverage and the vast majority of them did not have it before is a pretty significant achievement for New York,” she said.
The federal tax penalty for not having health insurance in 2015 will increase to $325 per adult in a household or two percent of their income, whichever is greater.