You are planning on staying uninsured (This page was updated on 1/1/08)

If you are planning to staying uninsured because it is too hard to sort out what options you have, we urge you to call Health Care For All's Help line, and/or go to a Community Health Center or Hospital to meet with an enrollment specialist to help you sort out what your options are. They are there to help you!

You may be deciding to stay uninsured because you don't want insurance even if you can afford it, you are staying uninsured because you can't afford health insurance even if it is offered to you by your employer, you are not eligible for any of the subsidized plans, or if you are eligible for the subsidized plans you still can't afford them.

You may be staying uninsured because you think you are exempt from the individual mandate based on your adjusted gross income and/or because there are not any health insurance plans. Please see our page on the individual mandate for information on and to determine if you are exempt from the mandate.

Under the individual mandate, unless the state exempts you from the mandate, you will have to be able to prove to the state that you have health insurance by DEC 31, 2007 or you may be penalized by the State's Department of Revenue on your 2007 taxes. For the 2008 tax year and beyond, those not in compliance with the individual mandate may be assessed a fine (half the cost of the lowest-cost yearly health care plan deemed available to them). The Department of Revenue (DOR) will be policing this part of the law. Again see our page on the individual mandate.

Please note that as an employee if you opt not to purchase insurance that is deemed reasonable and fair by the state through your employer when it is offered to you, you will be required to sign a HIRD form that will be submitted to the Department of Revenue.

You may want to see if you can be granted a financial hardship from the individual mandate and/or from the premiums of Commonwealth Care.

If you are planning on staying uninsured because in the past the The "Free Care Pool" or the Uncompensated Care Pool covered your medical expenses, you need to be aware that program has changed in function and in name. It is now called the Health Safety Net and like the "free care pool", this program is administered by the Division of Health Care Finance and Policy (DHCFP). In October, DHCFP released new guidelines/regulations for this program. You need to make sure you are still eligible for the Health Safety Net. If you are not eligible for it, you will incur medical expenses/debt when you seek medical care. See our section on the Health Safety Net (HSN).

If you are sick do not forgo care because you do not have insurance- We highly recommend that you locate the Community Health Center or Hospital in your neighborhood and go to them for care.