One requirement of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, is the **Individual Mandate**. The Individual Mandate was a key provision of the ACA that required most individuals in the United States to have health insurance coverage or pay a penalty.
Under the Individual Mandate, eligible individuals were required to maintain minimum essential health insurance coverage for themselves and their dependents. This coverage could be obtained through employer-sponsored plans, government programs like Medicaid or Medicare, or individual plans purchased through the Health Insurance Marketplace established by the ACA.
The Individual Mandate was aimed at encouraging a larger pool of insured individuals to help spread the risk among healthier and sicker individuals. By increasing the number of insured individuals, the goal was to stabilize insurance markets, lower premiums, and ensure that more people had access to essential healthcare services.
It's worth noting that the Individual Mandate's penalty was effectively reduced to zero dollars starting in 2019, as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed by Congress. While the mandate technically remained in place, the financial penalty for not having insurance was eliminated. However, other provisions of the ACA, including protections for individuals with pre-existing conditions and essential health benefits requirements, continue to be in effect.