Recent CMS guidance describes qualifications for exemption from the Affordable Care Act’s mandate to have health insurance. Members of federally recognized Native American tribes, people who experience short breaks in coverage, and people who cannot find a plan that meets federal affordability standards can apply for an exemption. The guidance also describes 14 hardship exemptions, such as a recent bankruptcy filing, suffering recent domestic violence, recently experiencing the death of a close family member, experiencing an inability to pay medical expenses in the last two years, or facing higher expenses to provide care for a sick or disabled family member. National Underwriter Life & Health (5/13)