Under current law, most people are required to have minimum essential coverage through an employer, a government health program, or a health plan they purchased themselves. Those who do not have health insurance in 2018 will pay a tax penalty starting with the year 2019, but the tax penalty no longer applies. Some people qualify for an extension from this requirement, and they do not have to obtain health insurance or pay a tax penalty in 2017 and 2018. When you file your income tax return for tax year 2017 and 2018, you will have to enter information about your health insurance coverage or file an exemption. If you do not maintain minimum essential coverage during the year and do not qualify for an exemption, you will pay a tax penalty to the Internal Revenue Service on your tax return for that year. However, starting with year 2019, the tax penalty no longer applies because changes were enacted in January 2018. These changes to federal tax law will eliminate the tax penalty in the future, but they do not go into effect until the 2019 coverage year. Just as a reminder, the annual penalty for not having health insurance is either $695 per adult and $347.50 per child, up to a maximum of $2,085 per family per year, or 2.5% of the tax filer's annual household income minus the federal filing threshold. Now let's explore the exemptions from the tax penalty one by one. The following groups qualify for an exemption: 1. Those who are not required to file taxes, meaning they have no tax filing requirement. 2. People whose income is below the minimum threshold for filing a tax return. You can use the IRS interactive tax system to find out if you are required to file a federal tax return based on...