<prompt> Human: My girlfriend is a graduate student in a grad program where she is required to do 30 hours a week in unpaid internship hours along with a full class load. So a job is out of the question. She is on loans to pay for school. She can only put so many hours into a paying on campus clinic job, and earns about 250 a month. She got denied for Obamacare, she cant go under her parents insurance, and the cheapest Obamacare recommended plan costs the same as what she can make a month, which is unreasonable. Ive looked around online, but Im no insurance guy, could I get some help?  <response>: I am also in the coverage gap I currently have Medicaid since Im pregnant, but 6wks after birth, thats over. I make too much money for Medicaid since my state didnt expand it, but because Im taking off a significant chunk of time for maternity leave, I make too little to afford to pay for insurance or qualify for ACA tax subsidies. The good news is that, contrary to popular belief, you are not required to have insurance if you meet certain criteria. I wont have any penalties, personally. You may qualify for an exemption if:Youre uninsured for less than 3 months of the yearThe lowest-priced coverage available to you would cost more than 8 of your household incomeYou dont have to file a tax return because your income is too low Learn about the filing limit.Youre a member of a federally recognized tribe or eligible for services through an Indian Health Services providerYoure a member of a recognized health care sharing ministryYoure a member of a recognized religious sect with religious objections to insurance, including Social Security and MedicareYoure incarcerated either detained or jailed, and not being held pending disposition of chargesYoure not lawfully present in the U.S.Hardship exemptionsIf you have any of the circumstances below that affect your ability to purchase health insurance coverage, you may qualify for a hardship exemption:You were homeless.You were evicted in the past 6 months or were facing eviction or foreclosure.You received a shut-off notice from a utility company.You recently experienced domestic violence.You recently experienced the death of a close family member.You experienced a fire, flood, or other natural or human-caused disaster that caused substantial damage to your property.You filed for bankruptcy in the last 6 months.You had medical expenses you couldnt pay in the last 24 months which resulted in substantial debt.You experienced unexpected increases in necessary expenses due to caring for an ill, disabled, or aging family member.You expect to claim a child as a tax dependent whos been denied coverage in Medicaid and CHIP, and another person is required by court order to give medical support to the child. In this case, you do not have the pay the penalty for the child.As a result of an eligibility appeals decision, youre eligible for enrollment in a qualified health plan QHP through the Marketplace, lower costs on your monthly premiums, or cost-sharing reductions for a time period when you werent enrolled in a QHP through the Marketplace.You were determined ineligible for Medicaid because your state didnt expand eligibility for Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.Your individual insurance plan was cancelled and you believe other Marketplace plans are unaffordable.You experienced another hardship in obtaining health insurance.I dont know where you live, but what I plan to do is enroll in a direct careconcierge medicine plan. Its 50mo for unlimited primary care visits. Prescriptions and hospital stays are not covered since its not insurance, but its better than nothing. Plans like this are relatively rare, though, and Im lucky to live in an area that offers one. If something like that isnt available in your area, the only alternative for her is to check out what low-cost clinics there are. edited to add exemption info 