Is Health Insurance Legally Required?

You might have heard about health insurance, but understanding its nitty-gritty can be a tall order. Health insurance is a complicated subject but can be broken down into digestible chunks with a knowledgeable insurance agent. At Safechoice Insurance Agency of Rochester, MN, we handle the difficult bits of health insurance to help you get the proper coverage.  

Today, we navigate one of the most asked questions by our clients: Is health insurance legally required in Minnesota? If you want to find out, keep scrolling.

Is health insurance mandatory in Minnesota?

As of 2019, the Obamacare act required citizens to carry health insurance. Failure to have health insurance would attract penalties at the federal level, but this was no longer the case as of 2019. 

However, a handful of states passed laws requiring an individual mandate at the state level. These states include New Jersey, Vermont, California, Massachusetts, and Rhodes Island. As you can see, Minnesota isn’t one of the states requiring Obamacare individual mandate.

Why you need health insurance

Whether health insurance is mandatory or not, you need this insurance for the below reasons:

  • Rising health costs: No one plans to get sick or get hurt, but you may find yourself requiring medical care at some point. With the rising healthcare costs in the US, securing yourself with insurance saves you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars in treatment costs. 
  • Preventing illnesses: When you carry health insurance, preventive healthcare like blood tests, vaccines, screens and scans, and some checkups are covered, helping diagnose diseases early.
  • Care of ongoing health conditions: Management of diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer can take a toll on your finances. As a result, many poor Americans risk missing out on chronic disease management care because they can’t afford the treatment. This action puts them at risk of further health complications and even death.

Are you looking for the right health insurance plan in Rochester, MN? Contact Safechoice Insurance Agency, and we will help you get proper health insurance without overpaying.