An employment strategist at Recruiter Media Inc. warns that it is against the law for workers who have access to an employer health plan to instead purchase a policy through HealthCare.gov.

Open enrollment for 2015 health insurance coverage from the government marketplace is proposed to begin Nov. 15. Richard B. Alman, the principal and chief career/employment strategist of Recruiter Media Inc., advises that those who plan to shop HealthCare.gov should understand the rules or risk facing serious consequences down the road.

He grants that the rules were confusing to begin with and have been changed and re-arranged with little public explanation or education, and that policies available through HealthCare.gov have been marketed as providing better coverage at lower subsidized prices than what's available to most individuals shopping privately or covered through employer-sponsored programs.

Many policies purchased through the Health Care Act websites also qualify for government subsidies for the purchaser. Those subsidies are not available for policies purchased through other means.

That allure, and the public's failure to understand the rules, is leading many to inadvertently break them, which may result in stiff penalties for individuals and families down the road.

Under the law, employers with 50 employees or more must offer policies that meet or exceed the new Health Care Act rules, which, for instance, require certain preventative measures to be 100 percent covered. Some employees, unhappy with their companies' offers, are instead purchasing through the marketplace in hopes of a better deal.

Alman claims that that's a violation of the rules, and that the IRS has been collecting data from all employers about who has access to an employer health plan.

He cites information publicly available at this time that the IRS will not act on database comparisons that show which individuals with access to employer plans have instead purchased a plan through Obamacare, and that those individuals will not get an early warning that they've violated the rules.

Alman states that the result may be an IRS financial nightmare for those individuals, with the potential for fines, penalties, interest and having to return to the employer policy.

He advises that before signing up for a policy, to ask an accountant, licensed insurance professional, or other person who understands the rules for a personal review and opinion of your specific circumstances. Alman concludes that each person will have a different set of issues that may determine which course of action is proper for their family.