Yoshiyoshi hirokawa getty images the affordable care acts individual mandate requires that americans have health insurance or pay a penalty tax when they file their federal income taxes you cant be put in jail for not paying the penalty and the irs cant put a lien on your property to collect it. A health insurance marketplace is defined as a new way to find quality health coverage it can help if you dont have coverage or if you have it but want to look at other options with one marketplace application you can review lower costs based on your income compare your coverage options side by side and enroll. How does private health insurance work in the us without public health insurance there are a few ways of how you can get health insurance in the us these are getting employment based coverage yours your spouses or your parents purchasing health insurance through the health insurance marketplace purchasing health insurance directly through a health insurance company. Free clinics are also an option if you have limited health coverage or no health insurance the united states department of health and human resources provides a list of free clinics in your area to find a health center in your area go to http wwwhrsagov gethealthcare affordable indexhtml. Us health insurance guide no insurance options dec 31 2020 posted by frederic dard library text id 246549ac online pdf ebook epub library insurance terms that every patient should understand health insurance in the usa an overview the quality of medical care available in the united states is generally of a high