Question: My wife will retire in Dec. ‘13 and her employer will pay $100 of a $940 premium for both of us. Would we still qualify for Covered California as an alternative and/or would we qualify for a tax credit? We will both be 62 and our combined income will be $57K.

Answer: It depends. If you will be buying individual coverage and your employer simply give you $100 per month toward the premium, then you would eligible for a tax credit. However, if you still have access to group health insurance after your retirement, you could be ineligible for tax credits, If your contribution to the “employee only” premium is less than $5,415 annually ($57,000 x 9.5%) you will not qualify for a subsidy.