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Posted at: 09/30/2013 4:29 PM | Updated at: 09/30/2013 5:49 PM
By: Amanda Ciavarri | WHEC.com

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The Affordable Health Care Act's enrollment period for its insurance plans starts Tuesday. Basically, anyone can sign up, but if you have insurance through your employer, or Medicare or Medicaid, you don't have to, but you can if you want to see if there is a better plan for you. Those who don't have insurance will benefit the most from this.

On Monday, News10NBC talked with people who don't have health insurance. They were either unemployed or don't have it offered through work and can't afford it. 

Andrew Post was at a job recruiting fair Monday afternoon. Post was in the Air Force for 14 years. After his wife passed away, he made the decision to get out of the military in July so that he could take care of his four kids. He has insurance for 180 days, but after that, unless he finds a full-time job with benefits, he will be without it.

Post says, right now, he is just looking for a job, trying to beat the clock. But if time runs out, he says the state's health plans will be an affordable option for him, a way he can guarantee health coverage for his family's needs. 

Post said, "I'm a single father with four children. Honestly, it is very difficult for me to take care of them especially with one being a diabetic and one that has a cleft palate that may need surgery later as she grows. The doctor said it might be something that could open up again and it leaves a lot of things in question on how I'm going to take care of it all."

If you opt out of getting health insurance, you will be fined $95 or one percent of your income, whichever is more. The fine goes up every year.  You have until January to sign up and after that, you can be fined. Those fines will be collected through New York State tax returns. 

Previous stories about the Affordable Care Act

What you need to know about healthcare exchanges

How New York health care exchanges can impact you and your family

For more information, click here.
 

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