At the beginning of a calendar year, we receive requests from people looking for a 1095 tax form to file their tax returns in the US. However, most of the insurance plans we sell are short term international travel medical insurance plans that are specifically exempt from ACA requirements. In other words, they are not ACA-compliant insurance plans. Therefore, such plans do not issue 1095 tax forms, 1095-A, 1095-B, or 1095-C.
Former President Barack Obama passed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) where from 2014 onwards, if you didn't maintain an ACA-compliant insurance plan, you would have to pay the penalty when filing your tax return. President Donald Trump made changes so that from 2019 onwards you would not have to pay the penalty.
If you are eligible to purchase an ACA compliant plan and/or you are required to purchase an ACA compliant plan, you should definitely do that instead of purchasing short term health insurance. Even U.S. citizens who purchase domestic short-term medical insurance can't get the 1095 forms because those plans are not ACA compliant either.
ACA-compliant plans are not required for everyone in the U.S.; for example, visitors to USA are not required to have ACA-compliant insurance. In fact, visitors to the USA are not even eligible to purchase ACA-compliant insurance. ACA-compliant plans are long-term major-medical insurance plans for US residents that are kept in force year-round.
In short, if you purchased any short-term insurance plan during the calendar year, for ACA-compliance purpose, it is the same as not having any insurance. Therefore, a 1095 form cannot be issued for such products. If you are required to file US tax returns, please consult your tax professional, as we are unable to provide tax-related guidance.
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