Okay, so this appears to be correct. Let's have some fun with the 'follow the cross references in U.S. Code far enough to be able to figure something out' game, shall we...
42 USC § 18022(a) tells us that
"essential health benefits package" refers to a health plan that, among other things, provides coverage at either the bronze, silver, gold, or platinum level.
42 USC § 18022(d) tells us what the requirements for those coverage levels are.
But
42 USC § 18022(e)(1) tells us that a plan is treated as meeting the requirements of 42 USC § 18022(d), even if it doesn't, if it is a
"[c]atastrophic plan" which means, among other things, that:
And paragraph (2) reads:
Oh, and we should also point this out:
So that all means that if you're under 30 you could be eligible for a high-deductible plan that meets the
"essential health benefits package" requirement. But, what the hell does that mean? Does it get us anywhere?
Well,
42 USC § 18021(a)(1) tells us that in order to be a
"qualified health plan" a plan has to, among other things, provide the
"essential health benefits package". Okay, so we might now have a
"qualified health plan", but what the hell does that mean?
Well,
42 USC § 18031(d)(2)(B) tells us that an
"Exchange" can only make a plan available if it's a
"qualified health plan". Okay, I'm going to skip a bit of stuff and just say that means that these kinds of plans can be offered in the individual market within a state. But why does that matter?
Well,
26 USC § 5000A(f)(1)(C) tells us that
"[c]overage under a health plan offered in the individual market within a State" qualifies as
"[m]inimum essential coverage" and that means... ding, ding, ding...
You don't have to pay the tax penalty for not having proper coverage in accordance with the requirements put in place by the ACA.
Boom baby! We're home. This #### really is easy to sort out.
