Your Guide To ObamaCare (Affordable Healthcare Act)

So ObamaCare is finally here, no matter how much the Republicans tried to actually shut it down it's finally out there in the real world. What we've put together for you here is a guide to ObamaCare, filling in some of the blanks in relation to the Affordable Care Act, and what it might mean to you. Of course the government shutting down in the meantime didn't help matters, but it was a sign of just how seriously both sides take the whole ObamaCare deal.

Registration

You have several choices when registering for ObamaCare and these include applying online, applying over the phone or you can also complete a paper application and post your completed form to the Department of Health and Human Services in Kentucky, at the address provided on the form itself. So far people who are attempting to register for ObamaCare have experienced anything but a smooth or flawless experience, especially taking into account that the ObamaCare call center suffered a major outage. Then in addition to this the online application process appears to be fraught with issues at the moment too - some online applications becoming stuck in a "processing" status for more than 24-hours.

Filing Requirements

To apply for affordable care you need to include your name, address, birthday and social security number. In addition to this you do also need to be a lawful citizen of the United States and/or lawfully residing here. Citizens of the US who are currently serving prison sentences are also not eligible to apply for ObamaCare for obvious reasons. If you're a US citizen currently living in another country you are not required to sign up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, and any fees in relation to ObamaCare are also waived.

Deadlines

There are 3 key deadlines to pay attention to in relation to the Affordable Care Act and they are as follows:

October 1, 2013: Live registration and enrollment for ObamaCare

January 1, 2014: Your new health cover actually starts

March 31, 2014: The enrollment process for ObamaCare ends

ObamaCare And Your Taxes

A major concern for most people, outside of the potential for increased health insurance costs, are the implications of the Affordable Care Act on your taxes. The two most important points of note are the tax credit you'll receive to assist with your healthcare insurance costs, and then the tax penalties for those of you who don't have any health insurance, period. So to all intents and purposes your health insurance is now tied to the taxes you pay, and that isn't something which will change as long as ObamaCare is in existence.

Does this mean that ObamaCare will make your personal taxes more confusing than ever? Well it's a distinct possibility but it's still too early to tell what the long-term impact might be.

It's probably worth remembering too that the recent government shutdown was directly related to ObamaCare (and increasing the debt ceiling), and although the government went back to work the issue of ObamaCare, it isn't resolved, and if the Republicans have their way the Affordable Care Act will be defunded and scrapped as quickly as possible.