What happens if you dont have health insurance for a few months during 2008 in Massachusetts?

Question

my friend just quit her job and she is working on some side jobs but def doesnt have health insurance. She will not reciev it until she lands a job that offers it to her or decides to pay out of pocket for it. What will happen when she goes to claim taxes for the year of 2008 if she gets health insurance by then? Will she me penalized for not having it for a few months?

Answer 1

So i did a little looking around, cause i also live in MA and was jobless at one point during the year. what i have found is that if your friend chooses not to enroll in some sort of health plan coverage she can be fined up to 150 a month!! though to be honest I'm not really sure how they will know this or not. Good Luck

Look under the "what is i still don't enroll" section.

Answer 2

I don't think there is any connection between health insurance and taxes.  You do not have to have health insurance (thank god since no one can afford it).

Answer 3

Massachusetts has free health insurance for people who can't afford it. If she can afford it, she may have be fined when she files her taxes next year. The fines can be as much as $900 or so. I doubt her case would be more than a couple hundred in fines.

Go to http://www.mahealthconnector.org and find a plan. If she qualifies, she may not have to pay a single cent. It's called Commonwealth Care.

Edit:

They find out that you don't have insurance when you file your state taxes. You receive a form from your insurance carrier, like you would your W-4, and have to attach it to your state tax forms.