Treat Me Right! State Health Mandates Can Set Penalties Greater than Zero

Beginning in 2019, Congress zeroed out the Affordable Care Act (ACA) assessment that individuals must pay if they don’t maintain health coverage which qualifies as minimum essential coverage, commonly referred to as the “individual mandate.” However, Massachusetts has its long-standing individual mandate, and four states (California, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Vermont) plus the District of Columbia impose their own individual mandates, with penalties to ensure compliance.

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