USA Obama Care Penalties for expats

[T_Dog]

Tried signing up for Obama Care last year but was unable to since I do not have a US address. The phone service person got a supervisor on the phone and she confirmed that the first step in signing up is to identify the state you are from, and since I don't have one, no way to sign up.

So... Looking at this website, expats are NOT EXEMPT from Obama Care. Anyone have the skinny on whether tax fines will be levied on expats with no USA address?

http://obamacarefacts.com/obamacare-mandate-exemption-penalty/

[vaultdweller0013]

If you qualify for the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion, you do not need coverage to avoid the penalty. See item (12) at:

http://www.irs.gov/uac/Questions-and-Answers-on-the-Individual-Shared-Responsibility-Provision

[T_Dog]

Thanks for that link, but I don't fit the criteria. Quite annoying to pay a fine when the sign up process does not accommodate expats with non-USA addresses. For those curious about the fines:

https://www.healthcare.gov/fees-exemptions/fee-for-not-being-covered/

[3SoiDogNight]

How can I get illegal alien status so I don't have to do any of this filing and just get all the benefits for free?

Can I just join a Mexican street gang, change my last name, get a bunch of tattoos an get 5 women pregnant?

[vaultdweller0013]

So, you spend more than 35-6 days a year in the US? When you are there, where do you stay? That would be your US address.

However, even if you spend more than 35 days in the US, you could qualify under the Bona Fide Residence Test.

Exactly how are you an expat, yet fail to meet either of the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion criteria AND not have a US address that you could use? I'm sure its theoretically possible, but it has to be highly unlikely.

[WaywardWind]

Your premise is in error - Americans living abroad more than 300 days per year are NOT required to have medical insurance, and not subject to any penalty:

U.S. citizens living outside the U.S.

U.S. citizens living in a foreign country for at least 330 days of a 12-month period are not required to get health insurance coverage for that 12-month period. If you're uninsured and living abroad under this definition, you don't have to pay the fee that other uninsured U.S. citizens may have to pay.

https://www.healthcare.gov/quick-guide/eligibility/