The Affordable Care Act mandated health insurance and instituted a fine if you choose to go without insurance in a qualifying plan. As part of that they set up exchanges that allow you to choose from independent health insurance options if your employer does not offer insurance or if you cannot afford the policy that your employer is offering. Even with these measures in place, you may feel like you are in a position where you cannot afford healthcare.


It needs to be noted that health insurance is not a luxury, it is really a necessity and paying for it should take priority over things like your gym membership and cable television. At the very least you should have catastrophic coverage that will help cover you if you have an accident or medical emergency. Before you decide that you really cannot afford health insurance take a careful look at your budget and find ways that you can save on your overall costs.

There are circumstances where health insurance may really be something that you cannot afford for yourself or your family. The larger your family gets the more expensive the coverage will be. It is important to understand the gamble that you are taking without insurance. One surgery can set you back and cause you to take on large amounts of medical debt. It can be crippling to not have the coverage and the options that health insurance gives you.

If you find that you cannot afford health insurance, even after you have applied for the tax credits and other help, you may choose not to have health insurance coverage for yourself.

If this is what you choose, you need to be prepared to pay the fee associated with the choice. The fee will continue to increase and in 2015 it will be $325.00 or two percent of your income over $10,000. You need to set aside money each month to cover the fee.

When you do not have health coverage, paying for healthcare can be expensive. Try to save up money so that you can pay cash at your doctor’s appointments. Many doctor’s offices will offer a discount if you pay at the time of the appointment. They may offer different rates if you are paying on your own. The only way to find out if this is available is to ask if they offer the rate. It can also pay to shop around for the cheapest health care providers. In my area, one urgent care is much less expensive then visiting our traditional doctor and at least $50.00 less than other urgent care facilities in the area. Hospitals will also have different fees for the services that they offer.

If you can barely pay your housing, utilities and food, you really may be in a situation where you cannot afford health care. Be sure you at least check with the exchanges to see if you qualify for any help from the government. Then you may want to take steps to find a way to get the health insurance. You may want to consider switching employers or working for a company that offers health insurance to part-time workers. If you are currently enrolled in school, you may qualify for health insurance through the school too. Be sure that you have looked at every possible option before you choose to go without coverage. The exchanges are open until February 1. Additionally, the fine is prorated, and so you can reduce the amount you have to pay if you can afford health insurance or qualify for it late in the year. Continue to check your situation and look for ways to get health insurance through the year.