Report: Obamacare enrollees could owe gov’t money

It’s that time of year when most Americans are usually enjoying tax refunds. But this year, many will be surprised to learn they owe the government money, according to an analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

The analysis estimates that 50 percent of all households that qualify for Affordable Care Act tax subsides will end up owing the government an average of $794. 45 percent will get a refund averaging $773.

Steve Weeg, chairman of Your Health Care, which boasts 84,000 enrollees, said that in 2013 a lot of people underestimated their income and must now pay back portions of the tax credits they received.

“They underestimated the amount of income, so they got a bigger tax credit than what they would have otherwise got,” said Weeg.

But with a large number of Americans now owing money, economists worry it could take a toll on the economy.

“If you take $700, $800, $900 away from that total refund, it cuts into that individual’s willingness to go out their comfort level in going out and maybe buying something,” said Dan Cravens, regional economist with the Idaho Department of Labor.

Weeg said the health exchange has fixed a lot of the problems people ran into in 2013 and that fewer people should get tax surprises next tax season.

“We worked with the Department of Health and Welfare to verify the income, the eligibility for the tax credit. So this year, there was a much more rigorous assessment of actual eligibility,” said Weeg.

ACA tax credits are available to households within 100 to 400 percent of the federal poverty level.