How bad it has to be before can apply for "exemption"

Allowable Reasons for Exemption Application

  • You are homeless, or more than 30 days behind in rent or mortgage payments, or have received a current eviction or foreclosure notice.
    ............................
  • You have a shut-off notice from your utility company (gas, electric, oil, water, or telephone), or one of your utilities has been shut off, or one or more of your utility companies is refusing to deliver services because you cannot pay.
    ............................
  • You have a large increase in expenses in the past six months due to domestic violence.
    ............................
  • You have a large increase in expenses in the past six months due to death of your spouse, family member, or partner with primary responsibility for child care.
    ............................
  • You have a large increase in expenses in the past six months due to the sudden responsibility for providing full care for an aging parent or other family member, including a major long illness of your child that requires a working parent to hire a full-time person to care for your child.
    ............................
  • You have a large increase in expenses in the past six months due to a fire, flood, natural disaster, or other unexpected natural or human-caused event causing large damage to you or, your home, or your property or personal possessions.
    ............................
  • You have had non-cosmetic medical and/or dental out-of-pocket expenses (not including premium payments) totaling more than 7.5% of your household’s adjusted gross income that were not subject to payment by a third party.
    ............................
  • You can establish that the expense of purchasing health insurance that meets minimum credible coverage would have caused you to experience serious deprivation of food, shelter, clothing or other necessities.
    ............................
  • Your family size is so large that reliance on TABLE 1 to estimate what monthly premium you can afford would result in significant inequity.

    See the document here.

Also see your chances for an "affordability" waiver  - it  gets worse!