the mandate penalty is waived if the lowest-cost Bronze plan costs more than around 7.3% of your income (they haven't posted the 2026 percent yet). That'd be around $550/mo for a couple earning $90K/yr. www.coveredca.com/learning-cen...
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My examples are all based on the 2nd-lowest cost Silver plan (the "benchmark plan") but my guess is that even the lowest-cost Bronze plan is gonna be a lot more than $550/mo for an older couple earning more than 400% FPL.
aug 28, 2025, 12:49 am • 1 0 • view
Yeah, I've checked & based on last year's rates, even Bronze is about 30% of my income. Obviously impossible. Supposedly you can get an exemption number that will let you get a catastrophic plan, but it's extra effort & reportedly takes a long time.
aug 28, 2025, 4:11 am • 0 0 • view
I'm a health journalist who has been keeping track of all this & starting the process early, but I know that's not the case for a lot of people, some of whom aren't even aware of the subsidy cliff they're facing at the end of this year.
aug 28, 2025, 4:11 am • 0 0 • view