The Individual Mandate for Health Insurance Coverage: In Brief

The Individual Mandate for Health Insurance Coverage: In Brief

The Individual Mandate for Health Insurance
Coverage: In Brief
Updated August 25, 2020
Congressional Research Service
https://crsreports.congress.gov
R44438

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Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1
Individual Mandate ......................................................................................................... 1
Penalty .......................................................................................................................... 2
Calculating the Penalty ............................................................................................... 2
Paying the Penalty ..................................................................................................... 3
Exemptions .............................................................................................................. 4
Reporting Requirements................................................................................................... 6
Individuals ............................................................................................................... 6
Entities Providing Minimum Essential Coverage ............................................................ 6
Penalty and Exemption Data ............................................................................................. 7

Tables
Table 1. Annual Individual Mandate Penalty........................................................................ 3
Table 2. Exemptions from the ACA’s Individual Mandate and Its Associated Penalty ................ 5
Table 3. Total Number of Tax Returns Reporting Penalties, Total Amount of Reported
Penalties, and Total Number of Tax Returns Reporting Exemptions (TY2014-TY2017) .......... 8
Table 4. Percentage of Tax Returns with Reported Individual Mandate Penalties and Total
Amount of Reported Penalties (TY2014-TY2017), by State ................................................ 9

Contacts
Author Information ....................................................................................................... 12
Acknowledgments......................................................................................................... 12

Congressional Research Service

The Individual Mandate for Health Insurance Coverage: In Brief

Introduction
From January 1, 2014, through December 31, 2018, most individuals had to maintain health
insurance coverage or pay a penalty for noncompliance implemented through the Internal
Revenue Code (IRC).1 To comply with the individual mandate, individuals needed to maintain
minimum essential coverage, which includes most types of public and private health insurance
coverage, though some individuals were exempt from the mandate.
Since January 1, 2019, the requirement to maintain health insurance coverage, its corresponding
penalty, and exemptions from the mandate have remained in statute, but the penalty for
noncompliance has been effectively eliminated by being reduced to zero. By law, individuals are
stil required to maintain health insurance coverage or receive an exemption from the mandate,
though they wil no longer pay a penalty for failing to do so.
The individual mandate was modified under the 2017 tax revision, P.L. 115-97, which was
enacted on December 22, 2017. The law effectively eliminated the penalty associated with the
individual mandate beginning in 2019. However, the 2017 tax revision did not make any other
substantive changes to the statutory language establishing the mandate and its associated penalty.
This report provides an overview of the individual mandate, its associated penalty, and the
exemptions from the mandate as they operate according to law and as they operate in practice
with the effective elimination of the penalty. It discusses the ACA reporting requirements
designed, in part, to assist individuals in providing evidence of having met the mandate. The
report includes the most recent national- and state-level data on the application of the mandate’s
penalty for tax year (TY) 2014 through TY2017.
The information provided in this report is based on current law and corresponding regulations and
guidance.
Individual Mandate
Most individuals are required to maintain minimum essential coverage for themselves and their
dependents. The types of coverage that are considered minimum essential coverage are listed in
Section 5000A of the IRC and its implementing regulations.2 Most types of comprehensive
coverage are considered minimum essential coverage, including public coverage, such as
coverage under programs sponsored by the federal government (e.g., Medicaid, Medicare), as
wel as private insurance (e.g., employer-sponsored insurance and nongroup, or individual,
insurance).3
The statute identifies types of coverage consisting of limited benefits, such as dental-only
insurance, that are not considered minimum essential coverage.

1 26 U.S.C. §5000A.
2 26 U.S.C. §5000A(f) and 26 C.F.R. §1.5000A-2.
3 T he Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has a chart that shows the types of coverage that qualified as minimum essential
coverage in 2018 in the instructions for IRS Form 8965, “ Health Coverage Exemptions,” at https://www.irs.gov/pub/
irs-prior/i8965—2018.pdf.
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The Individual Mandate for Health Insurance Coverage: In Brief

The Essential Health Benefits and Minimum Essential Coverage
The essential health benefits and minimum essential coverage are independent concepts that are often conflated.
Section 1302 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA; P.L. 111-148, as amended) lists 10
categories from which services and benefits must be included to comprise the essential health benefits. Health
plans offered in the nongroup and smal -group markets must cover the essential health benefits.
Section 5000A of the Internal Revenue Code and its implementing regulations list the types of coverage t hat are
considered minimum essential coverage, but they do not specify how that coverage must be designed (i.e., they do
not require that the essential health benefits are covered).
The only way in which minimum essential coverage and the essential health benefits intersect is when a person has
a nongroup or smal -group health plan. In both situations, the person would have a health plan that is considered
minimum essential coverage and that also covers the essential health benefits. No other type of coverage that is
identified as minimum essential coverage is required to comply with the requirement to cover the essential health
benefits.
Penalty
Per statute, individuals who do not comply with the mandate, or who have dependents who do not
comply,4 may be required to pay a penalty annual y for each month of noncompliance, to be
implemented through the IRC. An individual’s annual penalty is equal to one-twelfth of the
annual penalty (described below) multiplied by the number of months in which the individual did
not comply with the mandate.
Since TY2019, the annual penalty has been reduced to zero, which has effectively eliminated the
penalty. The language on how to calculate the penalty, how to pay the penalty, and exemptions
from the penalty remains in statute.
Calculating the Penalty
The penalty for noncompliance is calculated as the greater of either
 a percentage of applicable income, defined as the amount by which an
individual’s household income5 exceeds the applicable tax filing threshold for the
tax year;6 or
 a yearly flat dollar amount assessed on each taxpayer and any dependents.7 The
total dollar amount assessed on a taxpayer (for themselves and any dependents) is
capped at 300% of the annual flat dollar amount. For example, in 2018, the
annual dollar amount penalty for a taxpayer and three dependents (al of whom

4 T he IRS provides that a taxpayer is liable for an individual mandate penalty for his or her dependents regardless of
whether the taxpayer claims a personal exemption for the dependents for the taxable year. Dependent is defined in the
Internal Revenue Code (IRC) §152 and includes qualifying children and qualifying relatives (see U.S Department of
the T reasury, IRS, “Shared Responsibility Payment for Not Maintaining Minimum Essential Coverage,” 78 Federal
Register 53646, August 30, 2013).
5 Household income is defined as the modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) of the taxpayer, plus the aggregate
MAGI of all other individuals for whom the taxpayer is allowed a deduction for personal exemptions for the taxable
year—the taxpayer’s spouse and dependents (as defined in IRC §152). For more information, see CRS Report R43861,
The Use of Modified Adjusted Gross Incom e (MAGI) in Federal Health Program s.
6 T he filing threshold comprises the personal exemption amount (doubled for those married filing jointly) plus the
standard deduction amount.
7 T he flat dollar amount is reduced by one-half for dependents under the age of 18.
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were without coverage for the entire year) was limited to three times $695, or
$2,085.
As shown in Table 1, both the percentage and the flat dollar amount increased between 2014 and
2016, and the dollar amount was adjusted for inflation by the Consumer Price Index for Al Urban
Consumers (CPI-U) for 2017 and 2018 (though the inflation adjustment did not result in a change
in the penalty amount). Both the percentage and the flat dollar amount were reduced to zero for
2019 and subsequent years.
Table 1. Annual Individual Mandate Penalty
Percentage of Applicable
Year
Income
Flat Dollar Amount
2014
1.0%
$95
2015
2.0%
$325
2016a
2.5%
$695
2017a
2.5%
$695 adjusted for inflationb
2018a
2.5%
$695 adjusted for inflationb
2019 and Beyond
0.0%
$0
Source: Internal Revenue Code (IRC) §5000A.
Notes: The table shows the annual penalty, but the penalty is assessed on a monthly basis. The monthly penalty
is 1/12 of the annual penalty.
a. In statute, P.L. 115-97 retroactively zeroed out the penalty percentage and flat dol ar amount for this tax
year beginning in January 1, 2019.
b. In 2017 and 2018, the flat dol ar amount is $695 (i.e., it was not changed by the inflation adjustment).
An individual’s annual penalty payment is equal to one-twelfth of either the percentage of income
or the flat dollar amount, multiplied by the number of months not in compliance. Each total
monthly penalty is also capped. The monthly penalty for a taxpayer and his or her dependents
cannot be more than the cost of the national average premium for bronze-level health plans
offered through health insurance exchanges (for the relevant family size).8 For 2018, the average
premium was $283 per individual per month.9 If a taxpayer was liable to pay a penalty for more
than one individual, the monthly individual amount ($283) was multiplied by the number of
individuals subject to a penalty, up to a maximum of five individuals. So, for 2018, the maximum
cap was $283 per month for a single taxpayer, $849 per month for a taxpayer who was liable for
penalties for three individuals, and $1,415 per month for a taxpayer who was liable for penalties
for five or more individuals.
Paying the Penalty
Any penalty that taxpayers are required to pay for themselves or their dependents must be
included in their federal income tax return for the taxable year. Those individuals who filed joint
returns are jointly liable for the penalty.

8 Health insurance plans offered in the nongroup and small-group markets must have an actuarial value that
corresponds to one of four tiers, as designated by a metal. Plans offered in the bronze tier ha ve the lowest actuarial
value—60%.
9 IRS Rev. Proc. 2018-43 at https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/rp-18-43.pdf.
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For tax years prior to TY2019, taxpayers who were required to pay a penalty but failed to do so
would have received a notice from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) stating that they owed the
penalty. If the taxpayers stil did not pay the penalty, the IRS could have attempted to collect the
funds by reducing the amount of their tax refund for that year or future years. However,
individuals who failed to pay the penalty would not have been subject to any criminal prosecution
or penalty for such failure. The Secretary of the Treasury could not have filed notice of lien or
filed a levy on any property for a taxpayer who did not pay the penalty.
With the effective elimination of the penalty beginning in TY2019, individuals are no longer
required to include any penalty amounts in their federal income tax return, though the
requirements and procedures associated with paying the penalty are stil included in law.10
Exemptions
Some individuals are exempt from the individual mandate or its associated penalty.11 An
individual who obtains an exemption from the mandate is not required to make a penalty payment
for any month in which he or she qualifies for the exemption. The exemptions are outlined in
statute and in regulations (and are summarized in Table 2).
Prior to TY2019 and in most cases, individuals must either have applied for an exemption
through a health insurance exchange or claimed an exemption on their federal tax return, although
individuals who could have claimed the living abroad exemption did not have to take any action
for their exemption.12 Individuals whose exemptions were granted by an exchange reported the
exemption information to the IRS when they filed their taxes. Since TY2019, individuals no
longer need to claim or report an exemption on their federal tax return if they do not maintain
minimum essential coverage.
Most exemptions are applicable retrospectively, but some exemptions, including the religious
conscience and Indian tribe exemptions, are eligible for prospective or retrospective applicability.
Although individuals no longer need to report a hardship or affordability exemption on their tax
return, individuals stil must apply to a health insurance exchange for such exemption to be
eligible to enroll in catastrophic health plans offered in the nongroup (or individual) market.
Catastrophic plans must cover a comprehensive set of benefits but do not have to comply with the
same cost-sharing requirements with which other nongroup plans must comply. As a result, these
plans typical y have lower premiums because they have higher cost sharing. Aside from
individuals who claim hardship or affordability exemptions, only individuals who are under the
age of 30 are eligible to enroll in catastrophic plans.

10 26 U.S.C. §5000A(b) and 26 U.S.C. §5000A(g).
11 Certain exemptions apply to the individual mandate, whereas other exemptions apply to the penalty but not the
mandate. Prior to the effective elimination of the penalty, t he practical effects were the same whether an individual was
exempt from the mandate or the penalty—the individual would not have been subject to a penalty for not maintaining
minimum essential coverage.
12 For more information about how individuals previously claimed exemptions, see the IRS website, “Individual Shared
Responsibility Provision—Exemptions: Claiming and Reporting,” at https://www.irs.gov/Affordable-Care-Act/
Individuals-and-Families/ACA-Individual-Shared-Re sponsibility-Provision-Exemptions.
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Table 2. Exemptions from the ACA’s Individual Mandate and Its Associated Penalty
Exemption
Description
Religious Conscience
To qualify for this exemption, an individual either (1) must be a member of a
recognized religious sect or division (as described in §1402(g)(1) of the Internal
Revenue Code [IRC]) by reason of which he or she is conscientiously opposed to
acceptance of the benefits of any private or public insurance that makes payments
in the event of death, disability, old age, or retirement or makes payments toward
the cost of, or provides services for, medical care (e.g., Medicare) and such sect or
division must have been in existence at al times since December 31, 1950; or (2)
must be a member of a religious sect or division (not described in §1402(g)(1) of
the IRC), must rely solely on a religious method healing, and must have religious
beliefs that are inconsistent with the acceptance of medical health services.a
Hardship
Individuals who have experienced a hardship with respect to obtaining health
insurance coverage are exempt. The Secretary of Health and Human Services has
the authority to determine the circumstances under which an individual may
receive a hardship exemption.b
Health Care Sharing Ministry
To qualify for this exemption, an individual must be a member of a health care
Membership
sharing ministryc that (1) has been in existence (and sharing medical expenses) at al
times since December 31, 1999, and (2) conducts an annual audit by an
independent certified public accountant, available to the public upon request.
Indian Tribe Membership
For purposes of this exemption, the term Indian tribe means any Indian tribe, band,
nation, pueblo, or other organized group or community (including any Alaska
Native vil age) or regional or vil age corporation, as defined in, or established
pursuant to, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) that
is recognized as eligible for the special programs and services provided by the
United States to Indians because of their status as Indians.
Incarceration
Incarcerated individuals are exempt, except those pending the disposition of
charges.
Affordability
Individuals whose required contribution for self-only coverage exceeds a certain
percentage of household income are exempt.d The percentage is 8.24% for 2020.
Unlawful Resident
Individuals who are not lawful y present in the United States are exempt.
Coverage Gap
No penalty wil be imposed on those without coverage for less than three months,
but this exemption applies only to the first short coverage gap in a calendar year.
Filing Threshold
Individuals whose household income is less than the filing threshold for federal
income taxes for the applicable tax year are exempt.
Living Abroad
Qualifying individuals who otherwise would be subject to the mandate but who live
abroad for at least 330 days within a 12-month period as wel as bona fide residents
of any possession of the United States wil be considered to have minimum
essential coverage and therefore wil not be subject to the penalty.
Source: IRC §5000A and implementing regulations.
Note: For more information about the exemptions and how to obtain them, see Internal Revenue Service (IRS),
“Individual Shared Responsibility Provision—Exemptions: Claiming or Reporting,” at https://www.irs.gov/
Affordable-Care-Act/Individuals-and-Families/ACA-Individual-Shared-Responsibility-Provision-Exemptions, and
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, “Exemptions from the Requirement to Have Health Insurance,” at
https://www.healthcare.gov/health-coverage-exemptions/exemptions-from-the-fee/.
a. There is no list of specific religious groups that qualify for the exemption.
b. For example, individuals who are homeless and those who have filed for bankruptcy may be eligible for a
hardship exemption. For more information about the circumstances that qualify an individual for a hardship
exemption, see Healthcare.gov, “Hardship Exemptions, Forms & How to Apply,” at
https://www.healthcare.gov/health-coverage-exemptions/hardship-exemptions/.
c. A health care sharing ministry is defined as an organization described in IRC §501(c) that is exempt from
taxation under IRC §501(a). Members of the ministry share a common set of ethical or religious beliefs and
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The Individual Mandate for Health Insurance Coverage: In Brief

share medical expenses, and they retain membership even after they develop a medical condition. 26 U.S.C.
§5000A(d)(2)(B)(i ).
d. Required contribution is defined as (1) in the case of an individual eligible to purchase minimum essential
coverage through an employer (other than through an exchange), the portion of the annual premium that is
paid by the individual for self-only coverage or (2) for individuals not included above, the annual premium
for the lowest-cost bronze plan available in the individual market through the exchange in the state in which
an individual resides, reduced by the amount of any premium credit received for the taxable year.
Reporting Requirements
Individuals
Prior to TY2019, taxpayers were required to provide information to the IRS about their
compliance with the mandate.13 When filing their tax returns, they were required to indicate
whether they and their dependents had minimum essential coverage for each month of the year.14
Taxpayers were required to report any exemptions they or their dependents were granted by an
exchange. Taxpayers also were al owed to claim an exemption for themselves or their dependents
when filing their taxes. The IRS would then assess a penalty on any taxpayer who did not indicate
coverage or an exemption for the taxpayer or any dependents.
Since TY2019, taxpayers have not been required to provide information to the IRS when filing
their tax returns about their compliance with the mandate, any exemptions granted by an
exchange, or any exemptions claimed on the tax return. With the effective elimination of the
penalty, taxpayers who are not in compliance with the individual mandate requirements are no
longer assessed a penalty by the IRS when they file their tax returns.
Entities Providing Minimum Essential Coverage
To verify the coverage information provided by taxpayers, every entity (including employers,
insurers, and government programs) that provides minimum essential coverage to any individual
must report that information to the IRS and provide a statement to the covered individual.15 The
information the reporting entity is to give to the IRS includes the name, address, and taxpayer
identification number of the responsible individual16 and each other individual covered under the

13 For more information regarding an individual’s reporting requirements with respect to the individual mandate for
T Y2019, see the IRS website, “Individual Shared Responsibility Provision – Reporting and Calculating the Payment,”
at https://www.irs.gov/affordable-care-act/individuals-and-families/aca-individual-shared-responsibility-provision-
calculating-the-payment.
14 In T Y2018, the IRS rejected returns that did not report full-year coverage, claim an exemption, or report an
individual mandate penalty payment. In previous tax years, the IRS did not systematically reject tax returns during
processing in instances where the taxpayer did not provide such information. Prior to TY2018, t he IRS processed the
“silent returns” and followed up with taxpayers as needed according to the agency’s post -processing compliance
procedures. For more information about this change, see the IRS websites “ Individual Shared Responsibility
Provision,” at https://www.irs.gov/affordable-care-act/individuals-and-families/individual-shared-responsibility-
provision, and “ ACA Information Center for T ax Professionals,” at https://www.irs.gov/tax-professionals/aca-
information-center-for-tax-professionals.
15 26 U.S.C. §6055.
16 In regulations, the term responsible individual includes “a primary insured, employee, former employee, uniformed
services sponsor, parent, or other related person named on an application who enrolls one or more individuals,
including him or herself, in minimum essential coverage.” 26 C.F.R. §1.6055-1(b)(11).
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policy or program,17 as wel as the months during which, for at least one day, each individual was
covered under the policy or program.
The reporting entity also must provide a statement to each responsible individual covered under
the policy or program. The statement must include the contact information for the person
designated as the reporting entity’s contact person; the policy number of the coverage, if any; and
the information included in the return to the IRS for the responsible individual and any
individuals listed on the return.
With the effective elimination of the individual mandate penalty beginning in TY2019, the
Treasury Department and the IRS have been “studying whether and how the reporting
requirements under section 6055 should change, if at al , for future years.”18 As of the publication
date of this report, reporting entities have been, and are stil , required to satisfy the
aforementioned reporting requirements. However, for TY2019, the IRS stated it would not assess
a penalty on certain reporting entities for failing to furnish a statement to each responsible
individual if the reporting entity (1) posted a prominent notice on its website indicating that
responsible individuals could receive the statement upon request and (2) provided the statement
to a requesting responsible individual within 30 days of receiving a request.19
Penalty and Exemption Data
The most recently available data on the individual mandate penalty and exemptions are for
TY2014 through TY2017 (see Table 3 and Table 4). According to IRS data, the number of tax
returns reporting a penalty decreased from TY2014 through TY2017. Because the penalty
general y increased over this time frame, the total dollar amount of reported penalties general y
increased from TY2014 through TY2017 (see Table 3).20 As a result, the average penalty amount
per return that reported a penalty increased from $210 in TY2014 to $774 in TY2017.21 The
number of tax returns reporting an exemption increased from TY2014 to TY2015 before
deceasing through TY2017.22
Table 4 shows state-level penalty data for TY2014 through TY2017.23 The IRS has not issued a
state-level breakdown of claimed exemptions for any tax year.

17 Regulations provide that a reporting entity is required to make a reasonable effort to obtain the taxpayer
identification number (T IN) of each individual covered under the plan, but if a T IN is no t available, the reporting entity
must provide a date of birth for the individual instead.
18 IRS, Internal Revenue Bulletin: 2018-51, Notice 2018-94, December 17, 2018, at https://www.irs.gov/irb/2018-
51_IRB#NOT -2018-94, and IRS, Internal Revenue Bulletin: 2019-51, Notice 2019-63, December 16, 2019, at
https://www.irs.gov/irb/2019-51_IRB#NOT E-2019-63.
19 IRS, Internal Revenue Bulletin: 2019-51, Notice 2019-63, December 16, 2019, at https://www.irs.gov/irb/2019-
51_IRB#NOT E-2019-63.
20 IRS, Statistics of Income - Individual Income Tax Returns Line Item Estimates, Publication 4801 for various tax years
at https://www.irs.gov/statistics/soi-tax-stats-individual-income-tax-returns-line-item-estimates.
21 IRS, Statistics of Income - Individual Income Tax Returns 2014, Publication 1304 (Rev. 08-2016), p. 29, at
https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-soi/14inalcr.pdf and IRS, Statistics of Income - Individual Income T ax Returns 2017,
Publication 1304 (Rev. 09-2019), p. 25, at https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p1304.pdf.
22 IRS, Statistics of Income - Individual Income Tax Returns Line Item Estimates, Publication 4801 for various tax years
at https://www.irs.gov/statistics/soi-tax-stats-individual-income-tax-returns-line-item-estimates.
23 Individual mandate penalty data are also available by county and zip code from the IRS, at https://www.irs.gov/
statistics/soi-tax-stats-affordable-care-act-aca-statistics-individual-income-tax-items.
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Table 3. Total Number of Tax Returns Reporting Penalties, Total Amount of Reported
Penalties, and Total Number of Tax Returns Reporting Exemptions
(TY2014-TY2017)
Total Returns
Total Amount of
Total Returns
Reporting Penalties
Reported Penalties
Reporting Exemptions
Year
(in millions)
(in millions)
(in millions)
2014
8.1
$1,694
13.3
2015
6.7
$3,109
13.8
2016
5.0
$3,606
13.1
2017
4.6
$3,564
12.9
Source: Data are from IRS, Statistics of Income - Individual Income Tax Returns Line Item Estimates, Publication 4801
for various tax years at https://www.irs.gov/statistics/soi-tax-stats-individual-income-tax-returns-line-item-
estimates.
Notes: Populations are not mutual y exclusive. The data included in this table may not be comparable to U.S.
totals published in IRS Publication Table 2 (which is referenced in Table 4 of this report). The discrepancies
have to do with the extent to which the data are edited for the different publications. See the IRS Publication
Table 2 source document for more details.
It should be noted that because the penalty and exemption data are based on information provided
by a tax return, it is not possible to discern from the publicly available data how many individuals
(as opposed to how many tax returns or filed forms) were subject to a penalty or claimed an
exemption in each tax year. Because each tax return is filed on behalf of at least one individual,
the actual number of individuals subject to a penalty or claiming an exemption would be no fewer
than the number of returns or filed forms. Therefore, the figures reported here represent a
minimum number of individuals who were subject to a penalty or claimed an exemption in each
tax year.
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Table 4. Percentage of Tax Returns with Reported Individual Mandate Penalties and Total Amount of Reported Penalties
(TY2014-TY2017), by State
TY2014
TY2015
TY2016
TY2017
Total
Total
Total
Total
Percentage of
Amount of
Percentage of
Amount of
Percentage of
Amount of
Percentage of
Amount of
Returns with
Reported
Returns with
Reported
Returns with
Reported
Returns with
Reported
Reported
Penalties
Reported
Penalties
Reported
Penalties
Reported
Penalties
Penalties
(in millions)
Penalties
(in millions)
Penalties
(in millions)
Penalties
(in millions)

United States
5.4
$1,689.6
4.5
$3,079.3
3.3
$3,628.0
3.1
$3,666.1
Alabama
5.0
$18.7
3.4
$30.0
2.4
$33.7
2.0
$32.0
Alaska
6.5
$7.5
5.5
$12.8
4.4
$13.3
3.9
$12.5
Arizona
6.5
$36.7
5.3
$69.8
3.9
$83.9
3.6
$85.9
Arkansas
6.4
$15.1
5.3
$28.0
3.6
$30.9
3.4
$30.4
California
5.7
$221.7
4.4
$377.2
3.4
$445.7
3.1
$441.2
Colorado
5.7
$32.7
4.8
$60.6
3.7
$72.0
3.6
$77.6
Connecticut
3.3
$13.6
3.1
$24.7
2.5
$31.1
2.6
$33.6
Delaware
3.9
$3.5
3.4
$6.6
2.5
$8.1
2.4
$8.6
District of
2.3
$1.8
2.1
$3.5
1.6
$3.8
1.5
$4.1
Columbia
Florida
6.7
$132.6
5.6
$250.6
3.9
$282.5
3.5
$298.5
Georgia
6.0
$52.6
4.7
$97.1
3.5
$116.2
3.2
$118.8
Hawai
2.0
$3.0
2.0
$5.7
1.6
$7.5
1.6
$7.8
Idaho
7.3
$10.9
6.1
$20.8
4.3
$24.1
4.1
$26.0
Il inois
4.5
$56.5
3.9
$103.4
2.9
$121.7
2.7
$121.9
Indiana
5.7
$34.1
4.5
$59.5
3.6
$76.7
3.4
$75.5
Iowa
4.2
$11.1
3.6
$20.5
2.7
$25.0
2.7
$25.9
Kansas
4.9
$13.0
4.1
$23.3
3.1
$28.3
3.1
$30.1
CRS-9

TY2014
TY2015
TY2016
TY2017
Total
Total
Total
Total
Percentage of
Amount of
Percentage of
Amount of
Percentage of
Amount of
Percentage of
Amount of
Returns with
Reported
Returns with
Reported
Returns with
Reported
Returns with
Reported
Reported
Penalties
Reported
Penalties
Reported
Penalties
Reported
Penalties
Penalties
(in millions)
Penalties
(in millions)
Penalties
(in millions)
Penalties
(in millions)

Kentucky
5.0
$16.5
4.1
$31.3
3.1
$38.2
2.8
$37.5
Louisiana
6.7
$28.5
5.0
$47.6
3.5
$50.6
3.3
$50.8
Maine
6.1
$8.0
5.3
$15.5
3.9
$18.9
3.9
$20.1
Maryland
3.6
$23.6
3.2
$44.5
2.3
$51.0
2.2
$51.5
Massachusetts
2.1
$16.0
2.7
$39.6
2.3
$52.1
2.6
$59.9
Michigan
4.5
$39.2
4.0
$74.6
3.1
$95.4
2.8
$91.7
Minnesota
3.5
$19.6
3.0
$35.4
2.5
$45.2
2.5
$49.6
Mississippi
6.3
$15.2
4.4
$25.6
3.2
$29.7
2.6
$26.4
Missouri
5.2
$27.9
4.2
$50.0
3.0
$59.0
2.9
$60.6
Montana
7.0
$7.8
5.9
$14.3
4.2
$15.4
3.9
$16.5
Nebraska
5.3
$9.3
4.7
$17.8
3.6
$22.2
3.4
$23.2
Nevada
6.6
$18.3
5.4
$33.5
4.0
$39.7
3.7
$40.8
New Hampshire
5.4
$8.2
4.8
$15.2
3.5
$17.4
3.3
$17.9
New Jersey
5.1
$51.2
4.3
$93.3
3.3
$111.6
2.8
$102.2
New Mexico
5.6
$10.7
4.1
$17.5
2.9
$19.7
2.8
$20.4
New York
4.5
$96.1
4.2
$186.1
2.9
$201.6
2.7
$191.9
North Carolina
5.7
$48.6
4.5
$88.5
3.4
$111.3
3.1
$110.7
North Dakota
5.5
$4.7
4.6
$7.8
3.6
$9.0
3.3
$8.9
Ohio
4.2
$43.7
3.3
$76.0
2.5
$93.2
2.4
$94.0
Oklahoma
5.8
$20.9
4.9
$38.4
3.5
$42.5
3.4
$44.6
Oregon
5.1
$19.5
4.3
$35.3
3.5
$44.8
3.6
$51.6
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TY2014
TY2015
TY2016
TY2017
Total
Total
Total
Total
Percentage of
Amount of
Percentage of
Amount of
Percentage of
Amount of
Percentage of
Amount of
Returns with
Reported
Returns with
Reported
Returns with
Reported
Returns with
Reported
Reported
Penalties
Reported
Penalties
Reported
Penalties
Reported
Penalties
Penalties
(in millions)
Penalties
(in millions)
Penalties
(in millions)
Penalties
(in millions)

Pennsylvania
4.0
$46.8
3.6
$90.3
2.7
$108.8
2.5
$107.6
Rhode Island
4.5
$4.3
4.0
$8.6
3.1
$10.7
2.8
$10.0
South Carolina
5.8
$24.2
4.4
$43.0
3.1
$50.9
2.9
$51.7
South Dakota
4.6
$3.9
3.9
$7.1
2.9
$8.2
2.7
$8.4
Tennessee
5.4
$30.7
4.1
$54.2
2.9
$62.9
2.8
$66.1
Texas
8.9
$247.5
7.1
$447.6
5.1
$520.3
4.5
$511.7
Utah
6.4
$17.3
5.4
$32.2
3.8
$37.3
3.7
$39.7
Vermont
4.8
$3.4
3.9
$6.1
3.2
$7.3
3.3
$8.1
Virginia
4.8
$39.1
4.0
$72.6
2.9
$86.8
2.7
$86.1
Washington
4.6
$36.3
4.0
$67.2
3.1
$78.9
3.1
$86.5
West Virginia
5.8
$8.4
4.4
$14.7
3.3
$17.4
3.0
$17.2
Wisconsin
4.1
$22.0
3.7
$42.1
2.9
$52.6
2.8
$55.2
Wyoming
7.0
$5.4
5.8
$9.0
4.2
$9.5
4.1
$10.2
Sources: Data for TY2014 are from IRS, Statistics of Income, Table 2, “Individual Income and Tax Data, by State and Size of Adjusted Gross Income, Tax Year 2014”;
data for TY2015 are from IRS, Statistics of Income, Table 2, “Individual Income and Tax Data, by State and Size of Adjusted Gross Income, Tax Year 2015 ”; data for
TY2016 are from IRS, Statistics of Income, Table 2, “Individual Income and Tax Data, by State and Size of Adjusted Gross Income, Tax Year 2016 ”; and data for TY2017
are from IRS, Statistics of Income, Table 2, “Individual Income and Tax Data, by State and Size of Adjusted Gross Income, Tax Year 2017.” Data for al tax years can be
found at https://www.irs.gov/statistics/soi-tax-stats-historic-table-2.
Note: Amounts may not add to U.S. totals because of rounding. The source document for the data includes a note explaining that the U.S. totals in this table may not be
comparable to U.S. totals published in IRS Publication 4801 (which is referenced in Table 3 of this report). The discrepancies have to do with the extent to which the
data are edited for the different publications. See the IRS Publication Table 2 source document for more details.

CRS-11

The Individual Mandate for Health Insurance Coverage: In Brief

Author Information

Ryan J. Rosso

Analyst in Health Care Financing

Acknowledgments
Annie Mach, former Specialist in Health Care Financing, authored previous versions of this report. Isaac
Nicchitta, Research Assistant, assisted with the state-level data update.

Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan
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under the direction of Congress. Information in a CRS Report should n ot be relied upon for purposes other
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Congressional Research Service
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