Pressure is building on the Obama administration to give uninsured people a second chance to sign up for ObamaCare before they are slapped with a fine.
People without insurance in 2015 will pay a fine of $325 or 2 percent of their income, whichever is greater, during next year’s tax season.
Democrats and several advocacy groups argue that people without insurance don’t realize they’re in danger of taking a significant economic hit.
“Millions upon millions of people are unaware about these penalties,” Ron Pollack, the executive director of the nonprofit group Families USA, said in a briefing Wednesday.This year’s penalty is up significantly from the $95 or 1 percent of income fine for not having insurance in ObamaCare’s first year.
The first time people will actually pay the fine is in this coming tax season. Just one-third of people without health insurance said they were aware of the healthcare law’s penalty in a March 2014 poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation. The administration estimates that as many as 6 million people will be forced to pay up this spring.
Many are confused when they are told of the penalty.
More of this at The Hill