Health Insurance FAQs

What is Obamacare?

Obamacare is not an insurance policy or network. It’s just another name for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which is a law that was implemented in 2010. All new individual and small-group health insurance policies had to be fully compliant with Obamacare starting January 1, 2014. This is the case regardless of whether they’re sold through the Marketplace or purchased directly from a carrier if you do not qualify for a tax credit.

Is there still a penalty for being uninsured?

When the Affordable Care Act was written, lawmakers knew that it would be essential to get healthy people enrolled in coverage, since insurance only works if there are enough low-cost enrollees to balance out the sicker, higher-cost enrollees. So the law included an individual mandate, otherwise known as the shared responsibility provision. 

But that tax penalty was eliminated after the end of 2018, under the terms of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. Technically, the individual mandate itself is still in effect, but there’s no longer a penalty to enforce it.

Can I buy health insurance that’s compatible with a health savings account (HSA)?

If you enroll in a high-deductible health plan (HDHP), you’ll be eligible to fund an HSA.You can use HSA funds to pay for deductibles, copayments, coinsurance, and other qualified medical expenses. Withdrawals to pay eligible medical expenses are tax-free.HDHPs are available through the Affordable Care Act’s marketplace.

An HDHP plan has a higher deductible than a traditional insurance plan. The monthly premium is usually lower, but you pay more health care costs yourself before the insurance company starts to pay its share (your deductible). HDHPs cannot pay for any non-preventive services before the aforementioned minimum deductibles are met. 

Is COVID-19 testing and treatment covered?

Under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, Medicare, Medicaid, and private health insurance plans are required to fully cover the cost of COVID-19 testing.

However plans that aren’t considered minimum essential coverage (ACA plans) aren’t required to cover COVID-19 testing.

Does the ACA require infertility treatment to be covered by health insurance?

No. Treatment for infertility is not one of the ten essential benefits, and coverage for it is not mandated by the ACA or any other federal laws. States can have regulations that go beyond the minimum requirements laid out by the federal government. However, Michigan does not cover infertility testing or treatment.