In the two largest EU countries, France and Germany, statutory health insurance (SHI) requires employers and employees to pay statutory health insurance funds. People can spend as much as they want on their plans and purchase additional health services if they want. If a man has a heart attack on the street, Americans will take care of him regardless of whether he has insurance or not. For example, if you can't afford the health plans available to you through the Marketplace or through your employer, you may be eligible for an exemption.
Taking a closer look at affordable health insurance in these states is crucial if you want to avoid paying a penalty on your income tax but have trouble paying for health insurance. These include exchange plans that comply with ACA regulations, major health insurance and short-term health insurance. Other states, including Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington, have also tried to pass laws that make health insurance mandatory for their residents. However, unlike other states with individually mandated laws, you're not penalized if you don't have minimum essential health coverage.
It's important to have health insurance, even if you're young and in good health, because accidents and unexpected illnesses can have a serious impact on your finances. Following the repeal of Obamacare's individual mandate, several states decided to require people to have health insurance on their own. The politically conservative Heritage Foundation initially proposed an individual mandate to purchase health care in 1989 as an alternative to single-payer health care. This new exemption recognized the impact that the pandemic may have had on residents' ability to pay for and obtain health insurance.
While Vermont doesn't financially penalize residents who don't comply with the state's individual health insurance mandate, that doesn't mean there won't be a penalty in the future. The amount of the penalty varies depending on income, age and family size, up to 50% of the minimum monthly premium payment that the person would have qualified for through Health Connector, the Massachusetts health insurance exchange. The insurance mandate faced opposition across the political spectrum, from left-wing groups such as the Green Party and other single-payer healthcare advocates to right-wing groups such as the Heritage Foundation, FreedomWorks and the Cato Institute, as well as some members of the United States. The Netherlands has a health insurance mandate and allows for-profit companies to compete for insurance plans with minimum coverage, although there are also mutual insurance companies, so the use of a commercial insurance company for profit is not mandatory.
