The question on the page before you see that your spouse 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 your spouse held in her own name on December 1, 2016. If she had her own separate HDHP on that date, then choose the type of plan that she had. If instead she 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 your spouse 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 your spouse held in her own name on December 1, 2016. If she had her own separate HDHP on that date, then choose the type of plan that she had. If instead she 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:
Thank you for this answer. In a time when there is a federal mandate that we have health insurance, it makes us feel like flags are raised when we answer None to this question. As suggested, simply adding the phrase 'in her own name' would remove anxiety with providing the false answer by making None the accurate answer. As it is, we must intentionally respond inaccurately to move on in the tax form. This needs to be corrected. My wife had a family HDHP plan as of December 1, 2016 under my name. I will now lie and answer none on the form so that I don't get the question about the non-existent lapse in coverage.
This was helpful, thank you. Why is it asking for Dec 2016 though when we are discussing 2017 taxes and health coverage?