I would not have expected to do
a second footnote to my February 10 entry on this blog, but wonders never cease.
Yesterday, February 11, I got in the mail no fewer than two statements (labeled as Form 1095-B) from the
State of New Jersey which are rather like W-2s or 1099s, generally showing me
information useful for, or necessary for, my filing my federal taxes. These particular
forms testify to my having had Medicaid coverage, with X’s clunkily plopped
into boxes on a sort of calendar showing which months I was covered.
Each of the two statements (which
seem to be identical except in how my name is shown) represents a different set
of months for 2015: one is from January to May, the other is from June through
December. Why the two statements, instead of putting all the info on one, isn’t
entirely clear, but one presumable reason is that I had a renewal, for
which a form came to me in May (another possible reason is that their different
handling of my name means they have two separate records on me, to whatever tax-related
purpose).
There is nothing to indicate
that my coverage was discontinued for about five weeks in July and early
August, as was my belief for many months since then.
Since, when filing my 1040 this season, I
filled out Form 8965, implying I did not have coverage part of the year, the
astute observer might ask, have I misrepresented my health-insurance situation
to the IRS? (It’s an implication of the ACA, potentially very disgusting
depending on your politics, that this should even be an issue for the IRS.)
When I filled out my 1040 this
year, signing it on February 8, and mailing it on February 9, my firm
understanding is that I was not covered by Medicaid from late June through a date
in early August. The two blog entries just prior to this one, as corrected and
subject to possible future correction, support this. And I have paperwork and
other records supporting my situation. No problem if I had to make a legal
representation of myself.
Because my tax money amounts do
not change with the change in understanding of my ACA status in 2015, I will not
file a Form 1040X, which I’ve done (for other, legitimate reasons) in a few
past years. If the IRS this year writes me saying “You represented that you had
not been covered all year, but our records, from your state, show…,” I can
represent that, with the 1040’s requiring you on signing to “declare” that to
the best of your “information and belief,” the tax form is correct, it was indeed to the best of my information and
belief that my ACA status was as I indicated in the form. If the state has
sent me two Forms 1095-B as these are labeled, I did not expect these; I did
not get such forms last year. I, of course, keep them in my records, against any future IRS
developments.
##
What else could I affirm to the
best of my information and belief? Well, let’s present this statement with a special
scrubbing in order to have it be acceptable in a family-oriented context: “The
**** State of New Jersey, specifically in its **** administration of Medicaid
under the **** ACA expansion, is **** less-than-satisfactory, and makes me want
to **** on its **** ****.
