The question on the page before you see that you had a “lapse” in coverage is causing the issue.
On the previous page you should see the question, “What type of High Deductible Health Plan did [spouse] have on December 1, 2016?”. The choices are Family, Self only, or None.
If your spouse has been covered under your family plan, you might think you should answer Family to the question. However, the answer should be None.
It is referring to what type of plan you spouse held in their name on December 1, 2016. If your spouse had their own separate HDHP on that date, then choose the type of plan that they had. If instead your spouse was covered under the plan in your name, then you should choose None.
To go back to the section of your return to answer the questions again, use the following steps:
The question on the page before you see that you had a “lapse” in coverage is causing the issue.
On the previous page you should see the question, “What type of High Deductible Health Plan did [spouse] have on December 1, 2016?”. The choices are Family, Self only, or None.
If your spouse has been covered under your family plan, you might think you should answer Family to the question. However, the answer should be None.
It is referring to what type of plan you spouse held in their name on December 1, 2016. If your spouse had their own separate HDHP on that date, then choose the type of plan that they had. If instead your spouse was covered under the plan in your name, then you should choose None.
To go back to the section of your return to answer the questions again, use the following steps:
This question is very confusing and should be corrected. It is not at all clear based on how it is worded and should include details to clarify this. A better explanation and an option for being covered under a plan in my name should be provided, or it should indicate did they [spouse] have a plan in their own name. The explanation on the page only adds to the confusing saying select none if they failed to be an eligible individual.
This question has been wrong for 2 years. How many more people need to complian about it to get it fixed? Let’s it fix asap.
I ran into the same confusion this year, for 2020's TurboTax. Glad I came across this thread, and I hope they address this soon.