If you cant afford health insurance three ways to get help

Health insurance costs a lot family coverage costs more than $1300 per month. Most
people can't afford that. In other countries, the government provides health insurance. Not
here. So what can you do to get help paying for health insurance?
In Minnesota, three programs help pay for health insurance. First, Medicaid is a federal
program for very low-income people. Second, MinnesotaCare is a state program for
people with somewhat higher incomes who still don't make enough money to pay for
health insurance. Finally, the Affordable Care Act (ACA or Obamacare) gives federal tax
credits to help pay for private insurance premiums.
Definitions:
Premiums: The amount that you (or your employer) pay each month for health
insurance.
Low-income: Each program defines low-income differently. Click here to see
what the federal government says are poverty level incomes in 2014.
Health care subsidy: If you buy health care through MNSure, you may qualify for
a tax credit that pays part of your premium each month.
Medicaid (also called MA or Medical Assistance)
Medicaid (also called MA or Medical Assistance) is a federal program for very lowincome people. The exact amount you can earn and still qualify for Medicaid varies. For
example, a mom with a one-year-old child qualifies if her income is less than $3,709 per
month. A single person with no children qualifies if her income is less than $1,293 per
month. You can find a table with all the numbers here.
If you are on Medical Assistance, you will not pay any premiums. More than 700,000
Minnesotans are covered by Medicaid. If you get Medicaid, your doctor or health care
provider bills the state directly. You do not pay for medical care.
This is the one of a series of articles on understanding health insurance. Click here
for all of the articles. This series covers basics exceptions and complications
go beyond the basics.
Minnesota has a full Medicaid system. That means the state program covers the
maximum number of people. Some other states restrict Medicaid to fewer people. That
leaves many low-income people with no way to get health insurance. Congress could act
to change this but they have not done so.
MinnesotaCare
MinnesotaCare is a state program for low-income people. If you make too much money
to qualify for Medicaid, you might still qualify for MinnesotaCare. The income limit for a
single person for Medicaid is $1,293 per month, which is $15,516 per year. The income
limit for a single person for MinnesotaCare is $22,980 per year, which is $1,915 per
month.
If you qualify for MinnesotaCare, you may pay premiums, but they will be much lower
than regular health insurance premiums. MinnesotaCare premiums vary, depending on
your income. For example, a single person earning $9,336 per year would pay a monthly
premium of $6. A single person earning $22,173 per year would pay a monthly premium
of $43.
Affordable Care Act subsidies for premiums

If you have a low enough income to qualify for Medicaid, then you cannot get subsidies
for private insurance premiums. If your income is too high to qualify for Medicaid, you
might qualify for help paying premiums. To get this help, you must sign up for health
insurance through the MNSure exchange. Here's the official chart of incomes qualifying
for subsidies:
If your income falls within the following ranges you'll generally qualify for a premium tax
credit. The lower your income is within these ranges, the bigger your credit.

$11,670 to $46,680 for individuals

$15,730 to $62,920 for a family of 2

$19,790 to $79,160 for a family of 3

$23,850 to $95,400 for a family of 4

$27,910 to $111,640 for a family of 5

$31,970 to $127,880 for a family of 6

$36,030 to $144,120 for a family of 7

$40,090 to $160,360 for a family of 8

What if you have a low income AND your employer provides health insurance?
Generally, you are out of luck. You cannot get a subsidy to help pay for insurance you get
through your employer.
HOWEVER you might be able to get help through MinnesotaCare. According to the
MinnesotaCare website:
You may qualify for MinnesotaCare if the insurance offered by your employer is
not affordable. Employer insurance is not affordable if:
It covers less than 60% of medical costs, or
You pay more than 9.5% of your income towards the premium.

This is another area that gets very complicated, very quickly. For more information or
help in figuring out whether you could get MinnesotaCare help, call 651-431-2670 (Twin
Cities metro area) or 800-657-3739 (outside Twin Cities metro area).

Complications
When it comes to insurance, nothing is simple. This series covers basics exceptions
and complications go beyond the basics. Here are a few of the complications in Medicaid,
MinnesotaCare and tax credits or subsidies.
Spend-downs - If your income is higher than the Medicaid limits, you might still be able
to get coverage. A "spenddown" is like a deductible. With a "spenddown," you pay for
part of your medical expenses, and then Medicaid starts paying. Click here for more
information.
MedicaidandMinnesotaCarehaveverycomplicatedrulesaboutwhoqualifiesandwhatincomelevels
qualify.Formoreinformation,clickhere,orclickonthelinkforeachgroupbelow:
Pregnant women

Families and children

19 and 20 year olds
Children with a disability
Adults without children
Adults with a disability
Employed persons with a disability (MA-EPD program)
People 65 or older
People who need nursing home care
People who need home care
Noncitizens

 People who want family planning coverage only

Women who have breast or cervical cancer and have been screened by the SAGE program

The information on this site does not include all Minnesota Health Care Program
rules. To find out if you qualify, you must apply.

Health insurance does not need to be so complicated. One way to uncomplicate it is

called "Medicare for all." The very successful Medicare program covers people who are
65 or older. "Medicare for all" would extend this coverage to everybody.
"Medicare for all" is one way to get to a single-payer system. Most European countries
and Canada have single-payer systems. That means everyone can choose their own
doctor, dentist, hospital, etc., but all the bills go to a single payer the government
health program.
The decision to keep health insurance complicated was made by Congress. This decision
makes sense for the insurance industry, but not for the rest of us.
Articles in this series:

Trouble ahead? Three health insurance alerts

Open enrollment time: Should you renew or change your health insurance?

Beyond the premium: What will you really pay for health care?

Putting together the puzzle: Deductibles, copayments, co-insurance, out-of-pocket limit

What you need to know about health insurance bills, networks and tiers

What does health insurance cover?

If you cant afford coverage three ways to get help (not yet published)

Key questions: Choosing your familys health insurance (not yet published)