What is a Minimum essential coverage plan?

Minimum essential coverage is a type of health insurance policy an individual needed to meet the shared responsibility provision under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). Individuals who did not have minimum essential coverage previously were fined with a financial penalty based on the months without qualified coverage. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed in 2017 removed that penalty and buying health insurance is no longer mandatory at the federal level.

MEC plans grant individuals the basic needs of the ACA and grant doctors coverage and basic network discounts.  They are used to satisfy the tax requirement if they enroll in a policy that does not comply with the ACA for whatever reason.