By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar /Associated Press, December 30, 2014
The cost of being uninsured in America is going up significantly next year for millions of people.
It’s the first year all taxpayers have to report to the Internal Revenue Service whether they had health insurance for the previous year, as required under President Barack Obama’s law. Those who were uninsured face fines, unless they qualify for one of about 30 exemptions, most of which involve financial hardships.
Dayna Dayson of Phoenix estimates that she’ll have to pay the tax man $290 when she files her federal return. Dayson, who’s in her early 30s, works in marketing and doesn’t have a lot left over each month after housing, transportation and other fixed costs. She’d like health insurance but she couldn’t afford it in 2014, as required by the law.
“It’s touted as this amazing thing, but right now, for me, it doesn’t fit into my budget,” she said.