Who Will Be Exempt From Buying Health Insurance? 
According to the Affordable Care Act , the following individuals can claim a `` hardship exemption '' and not be forced to purchase health coverage or pay a tax penalty for not doing so : You were homeless . You were evicted in the past 6 months or were facing eviction or foreclosure . You received a shut-off notice from a utility company . You recently experienced domestic violence . You recently experienced the death of a close family member . You experienced a fire , flood , or other natural or human-caused disaster that caused substantial damage to your property . You filed for bankruptcy in the last 6 months . You had medical expenses you couldnt pay in the last 24 months . You experienced unexpected increases in necessary expenses due to caring for an ill , disabled , or aging family member . You expect to claim a child as a tax dependent whos been denied coverage in Medicaid and CHIP , and another person is required by court order to give medical support to the child . In this case , you do not have the pay the penalty for the child . As a result of an eligibility appeals decision , youre eligible for enrollment in a qualified health plan -LRB- QHP -RRB- through the Marketplace , lower costs on your monthly premiums , or cost-sharing reductions for a time period when you werent enrolled in a QHP through the Marketplace . You were determined ineligible for Medicaid because your state didnt expand eligibility for Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act . Your individual insurance plan was cancelled and you believe other Marketplace plans are unaffordable . You experienced another hardship in obtaining health insurance . There are other circumstances in which an indivdual would not have to pay the tax penalty , also known as the individual responsibility payment : Youre uninsured for less than 3 months of the year The lowest-priced coverage available to you would cost more than 8 % of your household income You dont have to file a tax return because your income is too low Youre areeligible for services through an Indian Health Services provider Youre a member of a recognized health care sharing ministry Youre a member of a recognized religious sect with religious objections to insurance , including Social Security and Medicare Youre incarcerated , and not awaiting the disposition of charges against you Youre not lawfully presentin the U.S. . 