Last Friday, CMS announced that there would be a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) for anyone who has to pay the “shared financial responsibility payment” also known as the tax penalty. Individuals who have to pay the penalty for not having coverage in 2014 and who do not have coverage for 2015 and attest that they didn’t know about the penalty prior to filing their tax returns will have an SEP that runs from March 15 – April 30. So what are the 17 state-based marketplaces (SBMs) doing? Several SBMs have already announced that they will be doing something similar while others are still considering what to do. Below is a breakdown of the 17 SBMs. Be sure to check back as we will update this as we learn new information.
- California: SEP for any individual who attests they just learned about the penalty this tax season. SEP runs now-April 30.
- Colorado: Announced there will be no SEP
- Connecticut: SEP for any individual who has to pay the federal shared responsibility payment for not having coverage in 2014 and attests they just learned about the penalty this tax season. SEP runs April 1-April 30
- District of Columbia: SEP for any individual who has to pay the federal shared responsibility payment for not having coverage in 2014 or attests they just learned about the penalty this tax season. SEP runs March 15-April 30
- Hawaii: SEP for any individual who has to pay the federal shared responsibility payment for not having coverage in 2014. SEP runs March 15-April 30
- Idaho: Announced there will be no SEP
- Kentucky: SEP for individuals who were unaware about the penalty this tax season. SEP runs March 2-April 30
- Maryland: Mirrors FFM – SEP for any individual who has to pay the federal shared responsibility payment for not having coverage in 2014 and attests they just learned about the penalty this tax season. SEP runs March 15-April 30
- Massachusetts: Announced there will be no SEP
- Minnesota: SEP for any individual who has to pay the federal shared responsibility payment for not having coverage in 2014. SEP runs March 1-April 30
- Nevada: No SEP announced
- New Mexico: No SEP announced
- New York: SEP for any individual who has to pay the federal shared responsibility payment for not having coverage in 2014 and were not aware nor understand about the penalty this tax season. SEP runs March 1-April 30
- Oregon: No SEP announced
- Rhode Island: Mirrors FFM – SEP for any individual who has to pay the federal shared responsibility payment for not having coverage in 2014 and attests they just learned about the penalty this tax season. SEP runs March 15-April 30
- Vermont: SEP for any individual who learns they have to pay the tax penalty. SEP ends the earlier of 60 days after learning they have to pay penalty or May 31.
- Washington: SEP for those who were unaware of tax penalty. SEP runs through April 17.
UPDATED – as of MARCH 12, 2015
