Which of the following counts as minimum essential coverage under the ACA?
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Answer & full 3-part explanation (select an option above, or peek)
Why A is correct
Minimum essential coverage (MEC) is coverage that satisfies the ACA's individual shared responsibility standard and includes most major health coverage, such as employer-sponsored group plans, qualified health plans purchased through the marketplace, Medicare, Medi-Cal and other Medicaid programs, CHIP, TRICARE, VA coverage, and Peace Corps coverage. Because MEC is the baseline that protects individuals from the mandate penalty, products that are not comprehensive, such as short-term limited-duration policies, standalone dental plans, and health care sharing ministries, do not count as MEC. Only marketplace QHP coverage is listed among the choices as qualifying.
Why the other options are wrong
- B) Short-term limited-duration policies are not minimum essential coverage; they are designed as a temporary gap-filler and do not satisfy the mandate.
- C) A standalone dental plan provides only dental benefits and does not meet the definition of minimum essential coverage.
- D) Health care sharing ministry arrangements are expressly excepted from the individual mandate but are not minimum essential coverage.
Memory hook
MEC = real comprehensive coverage; short-term, dental-only, and sharing ministries do not make the cut.