The answer, which may be surprising to some, is in today’s Kaiser Health News. The answer depends on what kind of coverage your employer offers, and if the self-only coverage is affordable — the answer does not depend on the cost of family coverage. If, for example, a family of five has a house-hold income of about 200% of the federal poverty level, they would be eligible for subsidized family coverage on the Exchange. Health premium tax credits on the Exchange will be available for families with incomes up to 400% of the federal poverty level ($110,280 for a family of five in 2013). The catch is that if one of the parents works for an employer that offers family coverage, even if the family coverage is prohibitively expensive, the family will not be able to go the the Exchange for alternative subsidized coverage if the employer coverage provides minimum value and affordable self-only coverage.
