Being out of the county does not automatically exempt you from having to have health insurance per the Affordable Care Act.
Per HealthCare.gov: U.S. citizens who meet
neither the physical presence nor residency requirements will need to maintain
minimum essential coverage, qualify for a coverage
exemption or make a
shared responsibility payment.
- For this purpose, minimum essential coverage includes a group health plan provided by an overseas employer and certain expatriate health plans. One exemption that may be particularly relevant to U.S. citizens living abroad for a small part of a year is the exemption for a short coverage gap. This exemption provides that no shared responsibility payment will be due for a once-per-year gap in coverage that lasts less than three months.
You’re a U.S. citizen living abroad, a certain type of non-citizen, or not lawfully present. (Learn more about the definition of “lawfully present.”) Get details about this exemption.
If any of the following situations apply to you, you may qualify for a health coverage exemption:
- You’re a U.S. citizen who either:
- Spent at least 330 full days outside of the U.S. during a 12-month period OR
- Was a bona fide resident of a foreign country (or countries) for a full tax year
U.S. citizens living outside the U.S
.
U.S. citizens living in a foreign country for at least 330 days of a 12-month period are not required to get health insurance coverage for that 12-month period. If you're uninsured and living abroad under this definition, you qualify for a health insurance exemption for plan years 2018 and earlier. This means you don’t have to pay the fee that other uninsured people must pay when they file their taxes.
Note: Starting with the 2019 plan year (for which you’ll file taxes in April 2020), the fee no longer applies. If you don’t have coverage during 2019 or later, you don’t need an exemption in order to avoid the penalty.
