Here are a few questions Texas patients have asked their doctors. There are many more. Please feel free to submit your questions to Me&MyDoctor.
If You Are Uninsured
Q. Is it true that every Texan must now have health insurance? What will happen if I don't get health insurance?
A. The new law requires most Texans and legal immigrants to have health coverage by 2014.
If you don't, you will pay a tax penalty. For adults, the penalties are these:
- 2014: $95 or 1 percent of income
- 2015: $325 or 2 percent of income
- 2016: $695 of 2.5 percent of income
- After 2016: The dollar amount increases with inflation.
- For children, the dollar amount of the penalty is half the numbers above.
- For a family, the penalty will be no more than $2,085, which is 2.5 percent of income or three times the penalty for one adult in 2016.
Q. How does the new law help me now?
A. A new insurance pool, called the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP), allows uninsured people to buy coverage, even if they have a preexisting condition. Uninsured Texans — even cancer survivors or those with illnesses like diabetes or high blood pressure — can get the coverage they need. For more information, visit www.pcip.gov.
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