you mention that this is a pension plan which suggests this is retiree health insurance from a former employer. if that’s the case then you and your family would be eligible for subsidies as long as your income qualifies you. if that’s not the case and coverage for your family costs more than 8% of your household income you’ll be exempt from the individual mandate and won’t have to pay a tax penalty. that’s a good thing but you probably prefer not to leave your family uninsured. it’s worth working with an insurance agent to see how you can break the family up with regard to finding coverage in a way that may prove more affordable. for example even without a tax credit individual plans just for the kids can likely be purchased at a fairly low rate either on or off the marketplace. or if your income is low enough your kids could qualify for the children’s health insurance program (chip) or medicaid.
is there any help for those of us that are offered insurance through our employer but it's still too expensive. i get my insurance through my pension program and they offer insurance for my husband and kids but at full cost. because of that i can't get subsidies through the marketplace for my husband and kids. now my insurance for my dependents has gone up 20% and is taking up 17% of my income. the insurance is not very good. is there no subsidies for those of us in this position. i earn too much for medicaid and too little to pay this for very long. it seems as if i'm being left out in the cold.