<prompt> Human: Last year I got very sick. Very sick in February. I was living in KY, uninsured due to my income and lack of motivation to get Medicare. I finally had to go to the ER, where they treated me pneumonia, yay and helped me sign up for Medicare which retroactively covered my expense. Fast forward, Im now living in TN, with a much higher income, and I cant even purchase insurance because Ive missed the open enrollment period and I apparently dont quality for an exemption. So at first I was very grateful for ACA, and now Im bitter - I will be fined for not having insurance that I want to buy but they wont let me.I guess my question is, is there any way to get private insurance that will cover me that isnt shit or prohibitively expensive and cause me to not get fined around tax time 2019? Ive looked around, but I just see a ton of ads on Google, and a soon as you put your phone number in, you start getting texts and calls from random people trying to sell you insurance. Theyre like pirañas!Assistant: I will be finedNo you wont EDIT: repeal passed but does not go into effect until 2019. The IRS is no longer issuing penalties kept the mandate but zeroed out the fines which made it something that could be passed for people who fail to comply with the individual mandate. Part of the recent tax bill.You can buy insurance direct from insurance companies. It will be shit and expensive. Its all shit. Even when your employer provides it to you it is very expensive to be less shit, but you just dont see what it is costing them or youd say holy shit.How do you have a high income and no insurance? Employer doesnt offer...or contractorbusiness owner? if the latter, incorporate LLC, make your wife or a friend who needs insurance or someone an employee, then call an insurance broker to get a group health plan.BTW heres the shit we deal with in TX. Family of 4 High Deductible health Plan. Basically an ACA compliant catastrophic health plan. Covers nothing but one preventative visit sales call with a doctor until 6,000 deductible is met with the mandated legal out of pocket annual max of 7250 or whatever. Approx. 1,400month premium. Biggest benefit usually ends up being the negotiated rates the insurer gets. Of course if paying cash you can negotiate for yourself. Also get an HSA look it up.Human: Im so sorry to hear about your options. That must suck. Yes high income but small family-owned company that doesnt offer insurance. Thank you for actually helping - so they have done away with the penalty for uninsurance? Where do you see that? I know at least when I filed 2017, I was penalized for the months I was uninsured.Assistant: The fine is still around for 2018, 650 or 2.5 whichever is higher. 2019 it goes to 0.Why do you blame the ACA? It has helped you in KY. And it would have helped in TN, if you would have taken care of things.Human: It wouldnt have helped me in Tennessee, because my income was still too low during the open enrollment to afford anything. I dont necessarily blame it, I just feel a little upset that I cant purchase something, and Ill be fined, even though Im willing and able to purchase it now. Is it 2.5 of taxable income, or gross income?  <response>: 2.5 of gross pro rated per month.You should blame the idiots in TN who refused the Medicaid expansion. They are why you couldnt get on when you had low income. 