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How to Avoid Tax Penalties for Going Without Health Insurance in California and Other Mandate States (2026 Update) By Sally Damaris The federal Obamacare penalty went away years ago — but several states brought their own versions back. If you live in California, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, or Washington D.C., going without qualifying health coverage can still cost you real money at tax time. (Vermont has a mandate on the books but currently no penalty attached.) What California Charges
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Find Private Health Insurance in California to Avoid Penalties (2026 Update) By Sally Damaris California is one of the few states that still requires residents to carry health coverage — and the cost of skipping it keeps rising. For 2026, going uninsured means a state tax penalty of at least $950 per adult and $450 per child under 18, or 2.5% of household income if that is higher. A family of four can owe $2,800 or more at tax time
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Guide to Exemptions for the California Health Insurance Mandate (2026 Update) By Sally Damaris California requires nearly every resident — adults and children — to carry qualifying health coverage or pay a state tax penalty. For 2026, that penalty is at least $950 per uninsured adult and $450 per child under 18, or 2.5% of household income if that amount is higher. A family of four going uninsured all year can owe $2,800 or more when they file their state
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Told Medi-Cal Is Your Only Option in California? It Usually Isn't. By Sally Damaris Here's a conversation we have with Californians almost every week. They apply through Covered California, the system looks at their income, and instead of showing them health plans with financial assistance, it routes them to Medi-Cal. For many people that's welcome news — Medi-Cal is comprehensive coverage at little or no cost. But for others, it doesn't feel like the right fit: maybe your preferred doctors
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Don't Qualify for a Covered California Subsidy? Read This Before You Buy Anything. By Sally Damaris You ran your numbers through Covered California and got the answer nobody likes: little or no financial assistance. Now you're staring at the full sticker price and wondering if that's just what health insurance costs when you earn "too much." Here's what most people in your position don't know: once subsidies are off the table, Covered California loses its biggest advantage — and the
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