The amount of the fine is fairly modest compared to the cost of most health insurance plans, though, so the worry is that 18-34s will choose to just pay the fine instead of joining the insurance risk pool.
Not a fine of course, but a "tax". A fine would be unconstitutional. My state rejected expanded medicaid, which leaves anyone in that gap between ~$2k and ~$11k with the option of paying the penalty tax or just stop working. There's a lot of the 18-30 year olds in that income bracket here.
You're welcome! I have friends in college who would've qualified for expanded Medicaid but my state didn't expand either. They were talking about this exemption which is how I learned of it.
The amount of the fine is fairly modest compared to the cost of most health insurance plans, though, so the worry is that 18-34s will choose to just pay the fine instead of joining the insurance risk pool.