It's October 27, 2017, do you know if your children are covered?

Growing up, we would hear that PSA, "It is 10PM, do you know where your children are?"  I was always in front of the TV and wondered what children are out at 10PM????

Well - it is October 27th, 27 days past the expiration of the Child Health Insurance Program (CHIP) which funding should have been renewed by September 30.

Well, not only has Congress managed to instill a level of fear and panic in the actuarial world of insurance in 2017, they also let our children down.  What used to be an assumed renewal of funding has turned into finger pointing & partisan excuses on both sides of the aisle.  

And who loses, not Congress - they get their coverage through their state exchange.

Who loses? - 9 MILLION AMERICAN CHILDREN & EXPECTING MOTHERS.  

What happens if we don't renew?

I don't need to have children to know that this is absolutely unacceptable to put any child in danger of losing access to their healthcare.  Not just the ability to see a doctor if they have a sore throat, but what about that 9-month-old in the Neo-Natal ICU?  What happens to her?  What about the newborn, born with a life-threatening illness?  

Is it worth the DC power trip to put any child at risk?  I don't think so.  This should be a guaranteed yes vote, with no string attached, no pork, no hesitation.

If they would take healthcare away from a child, what would they take away from an adult?  

Will your 2017 tax return be returned by the IRS because of your health insurance?

When you took a test in school and you didn't know an answer, or you just didn't feel like answering the question, you might have skipped it.  In school, that question would have been marked wrong, but more than likely, your teacher still accepted the test.

Well, the IRS is not a teacher and we live in a whole new world today.  

The IRS has recently announced that when filing your income taxes you can no longer be silent on the question of whether or not you have had health insurance during the tax year.  Read more about this here.   If you skip this question, you will not be able to file your taxes.  So - prepare now to answer the question - whether it be yes or no, they want to know and they are going to make a point of having you tell them.

Make sure to note this when having a conversation with your accountant.

And while I normally don't need to say this, I am not an accountant or a tax attorney, nor do I play one on television - this is my personal blog that I provide information gathered in my worldly & exotic travels as a benefits consultant.