How Does the “Three Month” Coverage Gap Work?

My husband lost his job on Nov. 14, 2014. We’ve been uninsured and unemployed since. Under obamacare, you can be uninsured for three consecutive months without paying a penalty. Our only current income is unemployment wages and money he received from his severance. We obviously need to pay our immediate bills and cannot afford to pay for the mandated insurance.

Q1: Since the 3 consecutive months are between the end & beginning of 2014 & 2015, is that still considered consecutive or does ‘consecutive’ start over for January 2015?

Q2: If my husband becomes employed but insurance provided by his employer doesn’t start until 90 days later, will we be penalized for not having insurance for all the previous months due to our circumstances?