Friday, December 20, 2013

Embassy message for Americans - Affordable Care Act



From the American Citizen Services Unit in the U.S. Embassy Bogota.

Wondering about how the Affordable Care Act (popularly known as Obamacare) applies to you?  Please review the Department of State's website http://travel.state.gov/travel/living/living_1234.html#affordable.  Be sure to click on the links to the websites of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

We have copied a few important tidbits to encourage you to read further:
From http://www.irs.gov/uac/Questions-and-Answers-on-the-Individual-Shared-Responsibility-Provision:
12. Are US citizens living abroad subject to the individual shared responsibility provision?
Yes. However, U.S. citizens who live abroad for a calendar year (or at least 330 days within a 12 month period) are treated as having minimum essential coverage for the year (or period). These are individuals who qualify for an exclusion from income under section 911 of the Code. See Publication 54 for further information on the section 911 exclusion. They need take no further action to comply with the individual shared responsibility provision.
From https://www.healthcare.gov/am-i-eligible-for-coverage-in-the-marketplace/#13875562362231&92|noscroll:
U.S. citizens living outside the U.S.
     U.S. citizens living in a foreign country are not required to get health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act. If you're uninsured and living abroad, you don't have to pay the fee that other uninsured U.S. citizens may have to pay.
     Generally, health insurance coverage in the Marketplace covers health care provided by doctors, hospitals, and medical services within the United States. If you're living abroad, it's important to know this before you consider buying Marketplace insurance.
Questions? Call 1-800-318-2596, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. (TTY: 1-855-889-4325)

I think that means I don’t have to worry about mandatory coverage.

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