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IRS 1095 Tax Forms: what you need to know

By January 25, 2017July 9th, 2020Company Updates

You may have received or will soon be receiving an IRS 1095 tax form. The purpose of this form is to help you verify that you had minimum essential health care coverage during the previous calendar year. You are required by the Affordable Care Act to verify your health care coverage when you file your federal tax return.

Please read our 1095 FAQ for more information. We also encourage you to consult your tax adviser and refer to the 1095 Q&A on the IRS website for more information about the use of the 1095 forms.

Which 1095 form will I receive?

There are three versions of the 1095 form. Who issues you the 1095 form depends on whether you purchased your Independence Blue Cross (Independence) coverage individually or if you are covered through an employer:

  • 1095-A — Issued by the federal government to people who purchased an individual health plan on-exchange through the Health Insurance Marketplace at HealthCare.gov.
  • 1095-B — Issued by Independence beginning January 23, 2017, to subscribers who purchased plans off-exchange (i.e. not through the Health Insurance Marketplace at HealthCare.gov) and to subscribers of fully insured customers.
  • 1095-C — Issued to employees by applicable large employers, either fully insured or self-funded.

What to do if you received a 1095-B with a missing SSN

We make every attempt to ensure that our members’ personal information is accurate. If we do not have a member’s Social Security Number (SSN) on record, we will issue a 1095-B form with a blank SSN field, but the date of birth field will be populated.

If you received a 1095-B from Independence with a missing SSN or you believe an SSN is incorrect, please use this 1095-B SSN Correction Form. The correction form includes instructions for how to provide updated SSNs, which must be in writing. For your convenience, forms can be returned to Independence by U.S. mail or by email.

For more information about the use of the 1095 forms for IRS reporting, please refer to the 1095 Q&A on the IRS website.