This year everyone will need to show evidence of health insurance coverage when we file our taxes. Forms 1095-A, 1095-B or 1095-C will need to accompany W-2s and other tax filing documents. All of us will need to be sure that we have the appropriate form to complete our tax filing whether we have coverage through an employer or have it issued on an individual basis.
We have fielded a number of phone calls from individuals who have not received any forms and they are curious what they should do.
First: check to make sure that no one in your household has received this form and put it somewhere.
Second: if your coverage was acquired through the Marketplace, a 1095-A should have been produced and sent directly to the address listed in your profile (beware, it may have been sent to an old address if you have moved in the past year and you didn’t update with the Marketplace). The best course of action if the form is missing is to go to www.healthcare.gov and log into your account. Look for your name on the upper right of the screen and click on it. Go to “My Applications and Coverage” and click on the link for your 2015 application. On the next page at the bottom of the list of options on the left side is a link for Tax Forms and you should be able to download your 1095-A form there. If your form is not available you will need to call the Marketplace at 1-800-318-2596 and request a form. It can take 30 days to receive the form once requested, so please address this as soon as you possibly can.
Third: if individual coverage was not acquired through the Marketplace or coverage was provided through a fully insured employer plan, a 1095-B should have been produced. If you cannot find it you will need to call your insurance carrier at the phone number on the back of your insurance card to request it. I am not certain how long it will take to reproduce the necessary form, but I would allow 30 days. Always see if they can send this form via fax or email to speed up your receipt.
Fourth: if coverage was provided through a self–insured employer based plan, a 1095-C should have been produced. If you truly did not receive one please get in touch with your Human Resources department for a replacement form.
In all cases, check to be sure you have one of these forms to file with your taxes at your earliest opportunity to avoid being presented with two options: file an extension or submit insufficient documentation. Waiting until the last minute will only increase the stress of the already stressful experience of filing taxes.