The Obama Administration has announced a “hardship” exemption for certain individuals who have been notified that their individual health insurance policies have been cancelled and will not be renewed. In such cases, if the individual believes that the plan options available in the ACA Health Insurance Marketplace/Exchange are more expensive then the cancelled health insurance policy, the individual will be eligible for a hardship exemption from the “shared responsibility” payment and will be able to enroll in catastrophic coverage, if available (catastrophic coverage plans previously were limited to individuals under age 30 meeting certain conditions).