Reality Check: The Consequences Of Not Signing Up For MNsure
ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) -- In Minnesota, at least one group opposed to Obamacare encouraged Minnesotans not to enroll and encouraged them to refuse to sign up on any website.
Gov. Mark Dayton calls it inexplicable.
"It's been a barrage of criticism all the way. It's been people cheering when it has problems. There are people telling people not to enroll, which is, I think, very ill-advised," Dayton said.
If you refused to get insurance, here's what happens now: you'll be fined $95 per adult and $47.50 per child or 1 percent of your income, whichever is higher.
If you make $40,000 a year, the penalty is $298. Next year, it goes up to $695 per adult or 2.5 percent of your income.
You won't go to jail, and the IRS cannot put a lien on your house or take your pay. But it can take your tax refund or reduce it.
After its rocky rollout, even MNsure supporters did not expect the health exchange to sign up nearly 170,000 people.
But the health exchange still cannot document how many of those enrollees did not have insurance before, and how many are the young healthy people the exchanges need to be profitable.
There are some exceptions to the March 31 filing deadline. If you tried to enroll but could not get through the website for some reason, MNsure will extend the deadline. Officials said 36,000 Minnesotans fell into that category.
The next open enrollment period is in November, but you can sign up if you experience what they call "life events," which include changing jobs, getting married, adopting or giving birth to a child.
Here are some of the sources we used for this Reality Check:
Penalty For Not Enrolling
https://www.mnsure.org/individual-family/mandate/
Website Urging Non-Participation In New Health Care Websites
http://www.cchfreedom.org/cchf.php/784#.UzxPGIKd7TQ
MNsure Home
https://www.mnsure.org/
Cost and Coverage Implications Of The Affordable Care Act
http://www.rand.org/health/aca/costs_coverage.html
MNsure Enrollments Hit 169,521
http://www.twincities.com/politics/ci_25467355/mnsure-enrollments-hit-169-251
