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FL Leads Tax Season Insurance Push

WUSF | By Lottie Watts
Published August 13, 2015 at 4:22 PM EDT

  Numbers released by federal health officials Thursday show that Florida led in health insurance sign-ups during extra time given during tax season.

More than 30,000 Floridians took advantage of the extended enrollment period that ended April 30. That's the highest among the 37 states that use the federal marketplace at HealthCare.gov.

The extra time was given for people who didn't know -- or understand -- they could face a tax penalty for not having health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act.

The penalty for going without insurance in 2015 is $325 dollars, or 2 percent of a person's income, whichever is greater.

Between Feb. 23 and June 30, 160,828 people in Florida enrolled using HealthCare.gov because they lost health coverage, became ineligible for Medicaid eligibility, had changes in family status, or took advantage of the extra enrollment time during tax season.

Enrollment for 2016 coverage starts Nov. 1. 

Copyright 2020 WUSF Public Media - WUSF 89.7. To see more, visit WUSF Public Media - WUSF 89.7.

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Health CareHealth InsuranceTaxesGovernmentLocal
Lottie Watts
Lottie Watts covers health and health policy for Health News Florida, now a part of WUSF Public Media. She also produces Florida Matters, WUSF's weekly public affairs show.
See stories by Lottie Watts
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