Can I Add a Dependent I Don’t Claim?
My 19 year old son was covered on his father’s insurance plan through his father’s work. His father lost his job and my son will lose his current coverage at the end of this month. His father and I are not married. His father has signed up for Obama Care. Can his father put my son on his policy and pay for his coverage even if his father does not claim my son as a dependent on his taxes? Our son loves with me and I will claim him on my taxes for 2014.
Answer
Under ObamaCare, whoever claims the child will be responsible for covering the child and will have access to cost assistance based on their household income. Non-custodial parents can be granted the ability to claim and file for the child by having the other parent sign an 8332 form. This form gives the non-custodial parent the ability to claim the dependents exception and child tax credits, but the custodial parent can still file head of household and claim dependent care credits, the Health Coverage Tax Credit (this is different than Premium Tax Credits), and the Earned Income Credits.
The Premium Tax Credits for a dependent are only available to the parent who claims the dependents tax exemption (assuming they meet the other criteria, see IRS Pub 504). Normally the custodial parent claims the tax exemption, but this form allows unmarried or separated parents who do not live together to 'split' the tax benefits. However, it can only be split as described above and requires the cooperation of both parents, so it isn't necessarily going to be the right solution for every situation.
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If I no longer claim my 34 year old daughter as a dependent, would she be eligible for a subsidy? She is not working and has no income.
She is eligible for Medicaid in the majority of states, you can see the list here: https://obamacarefacts.com/obamacares-medicaid-expansion/
In states that did not expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, some adults end up with no assistance options. However, sometimes local charities and state-specific programs can offer some help. There are also catastrophic and short term health plan options, but those have a cost. You can contact the marketplace or a broker about those. Hope this helps!