'Your Money' Columnist Is Answering Health Care Questions The Times is answering readers" questions about the new health care exchanges in the Your Money column. The latest one covered many of the basics. If you're still not sure how the law affects you and your family, please e-mail your questions to tsbernard@nytimes.com. Moving to a New State Q. I am wondering whether moving to a new state is considered a life event under the Affordable Care Act. My state, Maine, has only two choices of providers and is said to be one of the most expensive states for health insurance. I am contemplating moving to another state which has many choices, but can I cancel my Maine coverage and obtain new coverage in my new location next calendar year? Thank you. - jwc, Maine A. You can apply outside of open enrollment if you have a "qualifying life event," which includes moving to a new state. Estimating Income Q. My difficulty and confusion is I don't actually know what my annual income is or will be in the coming fiscal year. I am a freelance classical musician, meaning I have seasonal employment from as many as 20 employers in a year and I file tax returns in seven states and three countries. Still, my annual income was only $32,000, but perhaps as much as $50,000. Using my last pay stub or pay stubs is completely misleading. Often, I get hired at the last minute, and I can't even really figure out what a gig will pay until the rehearsal schedule is set. I suspect many low-income people have similar nontraditional employment patterns, which explain their uninsured status, and the system is designed for office workers with a single job. Not someone with a 50-page tax return. - gibarian, San Francisco, Calif. A. The experts I spoke with said you need to make your best educated guess when estimating your income. The exchange will verify it by checking your tax return from last year as well as your current income. The federal government has contracts with firms that provide that information. If your self-attested income varies by more than 10 percent when compared to those two sources, you will be asked to provide more documentation, according to a spokeswoman at the Department of Health and Human Services. How Other Income Is Counted Q. I am currently unemployed but have a sizable trust fund. Do I qualify for discounts/tax credits when buying health insurance? And will I be required to show my federal tax return? - Jory, Columbus, Ohio Q. I have very little annual personal income, but am fortunate to have other savings/resources from family that would allow me to pay for one of the better plans with higher premiums (I have no access to any employer-sponsored plan). I am willing to enroll in one of these better plans on my state's health exchange even if I don't get any subsidy for it (I seem to earn too little to qualify for a subsidy anyway). Will I be allowed to do this, and do this without penalty or added taxes? Just being able to enjoy the benefits from being in a "group" - even if it means paying in full for one of the plans available on the health care exchanges - would be good enough for me. - KRyan, New York City A. You can certainly buy coverage on your state's exchange since you don't have coverage through an employer. Whether or not you pay full price or qualify for a premium tax credit depends on your modified adjusted gross income, which is based on your latest tax return (and yes, the exchanges will check your return). If your modified adjusted gross income amounts to less than $46,000 a year if you're filing as an individual (or less than $94,200 for a family of four), you will be eligible for a premium tax credit, according to the Commonwealth Fund. Modified adjusted gross income includes income from items like dividends, interest, real estate, and retirement account withdrawals. So even if you do not have much earned income, but have significant income from other sources, you obviously won't qualify for financial assistance. Living Overseas Q. I have been living outside the U.S. for several years, but I will move back to the U.S. permanently sometime in the first half of 2014. If I return to the U.S. close to, but still before, the March 31 deadline, do I still have to enroll in a health insurance plan by that deadline? If I return after the March 31 deadline, how do I enroll in a health insurance plan, if the open enrollment period has already closed? - Starlight, Outside the U.S. Q. We are currently living overseas (as permanent residents of Australia, we enjoy the great coverage of Australian "Medicare" - indeed, it shares the name with U.S. coverage for seniors). When we move back to the U.S., which will be after the enrollment period for the exchanges has closed, will we still be eligible to sign up? Is repatriating after a period of living outside the U.S. one of the life events that allows one to enroll after this initial period is over? - Lisa, Melbourne, Australia Q. Will insurance purchased through the exchanges apply when you are outside the country for extended periods of time? Can one purchase overseas insurance through the exchanges? - Maria, Austin, Texas A. Moving back to the United States would also be considered a qualifying life event. So people who move back to the country after the open enrollment closes will still be able to buy coverage in their new home state (the open enrollment period closes on March 31). But you do need to be living in the United States to buy a plan on the exchange.