Analysis: 90% of uninsured exempt from health law mandate

Aug 7 2014

The number of people likely to face penalties for not complying with the overhaul's insurance mandate is estimated at 4 million -- down from the previous projection of 6 million, according to the Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation.

The Wall Street Journal: Fewer Uninsured Face Fines As Health Law's Exemptions Swell
Almost 90% of the nation's 30 million uninsured won't pay a penalty under the Affordable Care Act in 2016 because of a growing batch of exemptions to the health-coverage requirement. The architects of the health law wanted most Americans to carry insurance or pay a penalty. But an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation said most of the uninsured will qualify for one or more exemptions (Armour, 8/6).

The Wall Street Journal: The Short Answer: Affordable Care Act Exemptions
Almost 90% of the 30 million Americans expected to be uninsured in 2016 won't pay a penalty under the Affordable Care Act because most will qualify for one or more exemptions, according to a June report by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation. A page-one article in The Wall Street Journal examines the expansion of exemptions (8/6).

Fox News: Millions of Uninsured Americans Exempt From Obamacare Penalties in 2016, Report Finds
A new congressional report has estimated that more than 25 million Americans without health insurance will not be made to pay a penalty in 2016 due to an exploding number of ObamaCare exemptions. The Wall Street Journal, citing an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation, reported that the number of people expected to pay the fine in 2016 has dwindled to four million people from the report's previous projection of six million. Approximately 30 million Americans are believed to be without health insurance. The latest report is likely to spark fresh concerns among insurers, who have maintained that the number of exemptions to the law's individual mandate are resulting in fewer young, healthy people signing up for health insurance (8/7).