What is ACA Shared Responsibility?
- One of the primary stated goals of the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) is to increase the number of Americans with health insurance coverage.
- The ACA strives to accomplish this goal through the use of shared responsibility.
- Shared responsibility comes from two primary sources within the law:
1. The Individual Mandate
By virtue of being American, all individuals must obtain “Minimum Essential Coverage (MEC) for themselves and their dependents.
Coverage obtained through:
- An indivdual Qualified Health Plan (QHP)
- Government Plan (e.g. Medicare, Tricare, ect.)
2. The Employer Mandate (“Pay or Play”)