My wife says we are Exempt from Obamacare?

My wife does the taxes. I let her, she has 5 years experience as a tax professional with H&R Block. She doesn't work for them anymore but she reads what she can to keep up with the changes each year - she does the taxes of friends and family for free each year.

Well we have been living together for over 10 years but just got married in December of 2014.

Now, mind you I have no clue what anything I am about to tel you means. I don't understand it but you might.

She filed as Married Filing Jointly. She says Here In Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal did not opt for the Extended Medicaid package. We do not make enough to qualify for the regular medicaid ( the Extended Medicaid package would have allowed this) and since Obamacare and medicaid is " incorporated together " (my words, I dont know how else to paraphrase what she's thinking.) then somehow, we are exempt from Obamacare?

Here is a transcript of the conversion. If you can make sense of it, perhaps you can tell me if shes right or wrong. She maintains she's right but lacks the eloquent way to explain it she says.

I asked her to explain to me why we are exempt - I am Electric Rider, she is Scoobie Bongtoker (dont ask LOL) We were chatting using Oovoo, which is a Much better alternative to the horrible Skype.

Scoobie Bongtoker: (1:54 AM)
First off, we make below the threshhold which is somewhere between 30 and 60K a year. Also, Jindel did not sign up for the extended medicaid
Scoobie Bongtoker: (1:55 AM)
if he did, we would be able to get the medicaid since our income is low enough
Scoobie Bongtoker: (1:55 AM)
but since he did not, we can't get the medicaid because with regular medicaid, I make too much money.
Electric Rider: (1:55 AM)
what does that mean.. extended medicaid.. and how does that work with theirs to keep me exempt from obamacare?
Scoobie Bongtoker: (1:55 AM)
and also on top of all of that, we cannot afford the health insurance via the obama care
Scoobie Bongtoker: (1:56 AM)
the average one is over 300 a month
Electric Rider: (1:56 AM)
im not seeing how any of that makes me exempt from obamacare
Scoobie Bongtoker: (1:56 AM)
I am trying to explain it
Scoobie Bongtoker: (1:57 AM)
the extended medicaid allowed more people to be covered than what the regular medicaid allows
Scoobie Bongtoker: (1:57 AM)
due to income levels
Scoobie Bongtoker: (1:57 AM)
I'll have to go and look for the extended medicaid definition or soemthing. and paste it ot you. ....
Electric Rider: (1:57 AM)
o.k... continue
Scoobie Bongtoker: (1:58 AM)
I can't remember if there are other features to the extended medicaid
Scoobie Bongtoker: (1:58 AM)
or not... but it basically boils down to our income
Electric Rider: (1:58 AM)
so how does that effect obamacare.. obamacare and medicade are two totally different things.
Scoobie Bongtoker: (1:59 AM)
obamacare has incorporated medicaid as well. I can't explain it any further. without research
Scoobie Bongtoker: (1:59 AM)
and then, I'll have to give you the links to see what I'm takign about
Electric Rider: (1:59 AM)
o.k. send me links..
Scoobie Bongtoker: (1:59 AM)
I know what and how and what not, but I've always had trouble explaining the meaning of things for the most part even tho I'm clear on it

Here are her links:

medicaid.gov... - Affordable Care Act
healthtransformation.ohio.gov... - Extend Medicaid Coverage and Automate Enrollment
www.americanprogress.org... expansion/ - 10 Frequently Asked Questions About Medicaid Expansion
www.healthcare.gov... - Medicaid expansion & what it means for you
www.advisory.com... - Where the states stand on Medicaid expansion

I have united healthcare through work kids have florida medicaid and wife has medicaid none of us got a tax penalty your fine and your wifes Sn is awesome no questions asked!!!

Pretty much what your wife is trying to explain is that Medicaid criteria was lowered so more people can get on it as far as obamacare as long as you have some type of insurance covering you your fine..

a reply to: ATF1886

I personally do not have any insurance. I refuse to get it. I refuse to pay a fine for not having Obamacare too, if asked.

Thanks for the explanation but i'm still trying to get it straight.

You see I don't have nor will have medicaid. It seems they are saying if I am eligible for Medicaid, I don't have to sign up for Obamacare BUT, I'm not going to get medicaid but it seems i wont get a penalty either?

She says only something like 23 states opted for the Extended Medicaid package, so like half the nation has states in where people can be exempt like us. This sounds odd to me because i don't hear anyone talking about them being exempt at all. I only remember people saying having either Obamacare or another type of insurance is mandatory or you pay a fine.

a reply to: JohnPhoenix

I'm going to hazard a guess and say that "exempt from Obamacare" is not the phrase she was looking for.

It sounds like she was saying that you are ineligible for Medicaid because your state chose not to expand their Medicaid program under Obamacare.

No disrespect intended to your wife, but from the conversation and the links you provided I think that what she was saying was not what she actually meant.

eta: after looking over the link that Elton provided, it probably is what she meant to say. I had no idea.

All that ACA is is forcing people to have insurance in case if something happens to you uncle sam one way or another loaes responsibility for your medical bills..a reply to: JohnPhoenix

Maybe this??

Health coverage-related exemptions
You lived in a state that didn’t expand its Medicaid program but you would have qualified if it had

healthcare.gov

originally posted by: N3k9Ni
a reply to: JohnPhoenix

I'm going to hazard a guess and say that "exempt from Obamacare" is not the phrase she was looking for.

It sounds like she was saying that you are ineligible for Medicaid because your state chose not to expand their Medicaid program under Obamacare.

No disrespect intended to your wife, but from the conversation and the links you provided I think that what she was saying was not what she actually meant.

That is quite possible. She admits she has trouble explaining things. However to me that makes no sense because at no time was a conversation about medicaid ever started. The subject was brought up the other day when I asked her what we are doing about Obamacare. She has just finished filling out the forms and said that we were exempt from Obamacare.

Now the way you put it that the, " state chose not to expand their Medicaid program under Obamacare. " , makes me think those states who choose this is getting their dose of Obamacare incorporated into Medicaid, but not here in Louisiana and apparently 22 other states.

So where does this leave me with the real Obamacare as my state choose to deploy it?

a reply to: Elton

Thank you for providing that link. I had no idea there was such an exemption.

originally posted by: Elton
Maybe this??

Health coverage-related exemptions
You lived in a state that didn’t expand its Medicaid program but you would have qualified if it had

healthcare.gov

Cool link, Thanks. BTW folks that links title is: Exemptions from the fee for not having health coverage.

She gave me a link to another page on that site but not to this one. I asked her if she saw it and she said no, but she worked through the information posted on the forms themselves.

It seems there are really exemptions and they can be had for many reasons. Many of those reasons can be obtainable by folks who don't like the idea of Obamacare. I'm kinda shocked really because I, like so many people have been thinking we were screwed.

originally posted by: N3k9Ni
a reply to: JohnPhoenix

eta: after looking over the link that Elton provided, it probably is what she meant to say. I had no idea.

Gotcha.. I'm seeing now this Obamacare and Extended Medicaid is wrapped up together for those states that choose to opt in.

My state didn't opt in, so they are going about things differently and I'm allowed exemptions.

My main exemption was not meeting the lowest income requirements. Gee, I wonder how many folks in those 23 states are "poor" like me LOL. Everyone is poor these days - no wonder Obamacare can't get off the ground - everyone's exempt ! LOL

Does anyone know that half the nation is exempt? I don't think so, I don't hear them talking about it. LOL

a reply to: JohnPhoenix

This is one of the things that I love about ATS. Sometimes little nuggets of knowledge pop up that are not generally available to the public.

Thank you for starting this thread. Color me better informed.