Illinois Obamacare for Cook County

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Cook County Obamacare Rates

Learn about the 2023 rates for Obamacare in Cook County.

What Illinois Residents Need to Know About Obamacare for 2023

In Illinois, Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) open enrollment is over, but you may still qualify for 2023 coverage.

This website provides information about getting health insurance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), including:

To begin, keep in mind these key points about health insurance in Illinois:

1. Illinois open enrollment has ended, but you may be able to use a special enrollment period to get covered.

In Illinois, open enrollment for 2023 Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) coverage has ended. This means that, unless you qualify for an exception or your income is low enough for Medicaid, you won't be able to get health insurance through Healthcare.gov until open enrollment for 2024 begins next fall.

If you’ve lost your job or significant income in the past 60 days, you might qualify for a special enrollment period (SEP). A SEP allows you to sign up for a new health insurance plan or change your current one outside the open enrollment window.

In addition to job or income loss, many other qualifying events may make you eligible for a SEP. To learn more, see What Happens If I Missed the Illinois Obamacare Enrollment Deadline?

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How To Sign Up for Obamacare in Illinois for 2023

For 2023 health plans, Illinois open enrollment has ended. However, you may still be able to purchase health insurance for this year if you qualify for a special enrollment period. For example, if you’ve recently lost your job or significant income, you might qualify for a 60-day special enrollment period that will allow you to sign up for a new health insurance plan. (See What Happens If I Missed the Enrollment Deadline?)

To get covered, you can go directly to the online health insurance marketplace for Illinois. If you need personalized help, you can reach out to an enrollment assistant. Most enrollment helpers are working remotely during the COVID crisis.

Where's the Illinois Health Care Exchange?

You can find the health insurance exchange for Illinois at Healthcare.gov. This is where you can learn about the various health insurance options available to you under the Affordable Care Act. If you see a plan you like, you'll be guided through the enrollment process online.

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How Much Does Obamacare Cost in Illinois?

This article explains the costs of health care plans offered under the Affordable Care Act (commonly called Obamacare) for individuals or families who are currently uninsured or not covered by a job-based health plan.

What you'll pay for an Obamacare plan depends on five things:

The level of coverage you choose
Whether you qualify for a subsidy
Where you live in Illinois
Your age
Whether you smoke

Read on to learn more about each of these factors.

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Do I Have to Get Health Insurance in Illinois in 2023?

Technically, the Affordable Care Act -- aka Obamacare -- still says that you must have health insurance. Practically, however, the federal tax penalty for going without health insurance has been “zeroed out.” That means you’ll still have to report your coverage status on your federal tax return, but you won’t have to pay a penalty if you aren’t covered.

A few states have passed their own health insurance requirements, but as we approach open enrollment for 2023 health plans, Illinois is not one of them.

If you’re interested -- or if the tax penalty comes back -- here’s what the Affordable Care Act still says about the kinds of health insurance Americans should have.

What Qualifies as Minimum Essential Coverage?

The Affordable Care Act requires you to have what’s called “minimum essential coverage” or MEC. The following types of health coverage meet the ACA’s guidelines:

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Illinois Medicaid Expansion: Do I Qualify for Medicaid Under the ACA?

The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) expanded Medicaid eligibility to include more people who couldn’t otherwise obtain health insurance. As written, the ACA would extend Medicaid to all adults with incomes at or below 138% of the federal poverty level. (For a single person in Illinois in 2021, that’s $20,120. For a family of four, it’s $41,400.)

However, the U.S. Supreme Court later ruled that it was up to individual states to decide whether to expand Medicaid. As of October 2021, 12 states have not expanded their programs.

Illinois Has Expanded Medicaid

Because Illinois did decide to expand its Medicaid program, residents can qualify for Medicaid more easily today than in years past.

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Ways to Save Money on Obamacare in Illinois

There are three primary ways to reduce the cost of health plans under the Affordable Care Act in Illinois.

You may be able to lower the cost of monthly premiums when you sign up for a private health insurance plan. Your subsidies will come in the form of a federal tax credit. This article is updated to cover the new tax credits available under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
You may be able to reduce your out-of-pocket costs -- including copayments, deductibles, and coinsurance -- with cost-sharing subsidies paid for by insurers.
You may qualify for free or low-cost coverage through Medicaid in Illinois, or your children may be able to obtain coverage through the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

Each of these forms of assistance depends on your income and family size.

Many people who apply for coverage at the Illinois exchange will be eligible for some form of financial assistance. Read on to learn more about each option.

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How Much Is the Obamacare Tax Penalty in Illinois for 2023?

There's No Federal Tax Penalty for Being Uninsured

Legally, the Affordable Care Act -- aka Obamacare -- still says that you must have health insurance. Practically speaking, however, the tax penalty for being uninsured has dropped to zero. That means you'll still have to report your coverage status on your federal tax return, but you won't have to pay a penalty if you aren't covered.

A handful of states have passed health insurance requirements to replace the federal mandate. As we approach open enrollment for 2023 health plans, those states are California, the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Rhode Island. Vermont also passed a law, but never established an active penalty to go along with it.

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Understanding Obamacare's Preventive Health Care Benefits

Get vaccinations, mammograms, colonoscopies, and other essential services for free

The Affordable Care Act requires health insurance plans to offer certain preventive care services free of charge -- or more accurately, for nothing more than the cost of your monthly insurance premiums. This rule applies to most plans sold directly by insurance companies and all plans sold through the health care marketplace for Illinois. Covered preventive services are available for free (meaning no co-pay or other out-of-pocket charges) whether or not you’ve met your plan’s annual deductible.

Tips for Using Your Preventive Care Benefits – And Avoiding Unexpected Charges

Below, you’ll find a list of free preventive benefits -- screening tests, counseling services, and vaccinations -- for adults, women, and kids. But first, here are some pointers to help you avoid an unexpected bill for services you thought were preventive.

Use a network provider. To get a preventive service for free, you must use a health care provider in your insurance plan’s network.

Know the difference between “preventive” and “diagnostic.” Doctors can use screening tests for either preventive or diagnostic reasons. For example, having a routine mammogram every year or two is preventive care for women over 40. But if you schedule a mammogram because you feel a lump or have breast pain, that’s diagnostic. Likewise, a routine colonoscopy is recommended for adults over 50, but if your doctor schedules a colonoscopy to investigate a problem like blood in your stool, it becomes a diagnostic procedure. Preventative services are free; diagnostic procedures are not. (If the timing is right -- say, you go to the doctor because you find a lump in your breast but you also happen to be due for an annual mammogram -- your doctor may bill the diagnostic procedure as preventive, but that’s not something you can count on.)

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Get Help Finding a Health Insurance Plan in Illinois

Get Help From Illinois's Health Insurance Exchange

The following links and telephone numbers take you to the official help resources for Healthcare.gov, the health insurance marketplace for Illinois.

Help by phone: 800-318-2596 (TTY: 855-889-4325)

In-person help: Go to Find Local Help, where you can enter your city and state or zip code to find an application assister, insurance agent, or health insurance broker in your area.

Get Help From a Licensed Insurance Broker

To directly connect with a Illinois insurance broker who can help you evaluate insurance plans and choose a plan that's appropriate for your situation, call 800-943-6832. (We receive advertising income from the licensed brokers who offer their services through this telephone number.)

More Information

For more detailed information, see How Do I Sign Up for Obamacare in Illinois?

Obamacare for Self-Employed Illinois Residents

Many self-employed people will be quick to tell you that getting and paying for health insurance is one of the biggest challenges they face. For some, however, the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) may make things easier by providing new coverage options for the self-employed.

Are You Self-Employed or an Employer?

Before you start evaluating your options for health coverage, you need understand whether the Affordable Care Act thinks you're self-employed.

The ACA says you are self-employed if you are an independent contractor or a sole proprietor without employees. (If you hire other independent contractors to do some work for you, you probably still qualify as self-employed.) If you are self-employed, you can use Healthcare.gov to compare health insurance plans and sign up for the one that works best for you.

If you have employees – usually, workers whose income you report on a W-2 at the end of the year -- you’re considered an employer. In that case, you can learn about purchasing health insurance for yourself and your employees through the SHOP Marketplace. You will be connected with a registered SHOP (Small Business Health Options) agent or broker who can help you understand your coverage options.

If you aren’t sure whether the people who work for you are independent contractors or employees, read "Independent Contractor (Self-Employed) or Employee?" on the IRS website.

What the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) Means for Self-Employed People in Illinois

Here are seven things self-employed people should know about the Affordable Care Act:

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How Obamacare Can Help Unemployed Illinois Residents

If you've suffered the blow of losing your job or a significant amount of your income during the COVID-19 pandemic, The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), may provide you with free health insurance under the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) this year.

ARPA makes available $1.9 trillion in funds to support those still struggling due to the pandemic. One of its features is the opportunity for no-cost health plans for anyone who receives unemployment benefits for at least one week in 2021. As an alternative, ARPA also opens a window for six months of free COBRA coverage from April through September of 2021.

Here's an overview of current options for health insurance if you are unemployed, plus more information about what might happen if you don't get health coverage. (If you're looking for information about applying or eligibility for unemployment, see our articles on Illinois unemployment benefits.)

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What Domestic Partners Need to Know About Applying for Health Insurance Under Obamacare

When registered domestic partners or civil union partners apply for coverage at an Affordable Care Act health insurance marketplace, there’s one question that almost always arises: Do we apply based on our separate incomes or must we include all the income we make as a couple?

The answer depends on the state where you live.

States other than California, Nevada, or Washington. In almost all states, registered domestic partners or civil union partners who apply for insurance via the state’s health insurance exchange must do so separately. Each partner includes only his or her separate income, and this amount determines health plan costs and eligibility for cost-saving subsidies. It works this way because domestic partners are not considered married for federal tax purposes. (If you registered first and got legally married later, this article doesn't apply to you. You must apply as a married person and report your combined income.)

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Illinois Obamacare Scams: What They Are, How to Avoid Them & Where to Report Them

If someone calls you on the phone in Illinois offering you discount health insurance for $29 a month, hang up and report them to the Illinois Department of Insurance.

Worthless insurance is one of many scams that unscrupulous people are trying to sell to consumers confused by Obamacare. To satisfy the requirements of the new law, you must have a qualified insurance plan. If you don't, not only will you miss out on cost-saving insurance subsidies, you will probably be subject to a tax penalty.

Beware of scammers who may try to persuade to you buy insurance outside of Healthcare.gov. Below is a list of common types of scams.

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Obamacare and Seniors

If you’re over the age of 65, your health insurance options under the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) depend on whether or not you’re covered by Medicare or another insurance plan. To find out what, if anything, you need to do, find the situation below that applies to you.

You have Medicare. If you’re already enrolled in Medicare, you’re considered covered under the ACA, and you don’t have to do anything. In fact, it’s illegal for someone who knows you have Medicare to try to sell you a plan through an ACA health insurance marketplace.

The Affordable Care Act does enhance your existing Medicare coverage by providing additional preventive care benefits, such as cancer screenings and an annual wellness visit.

For more information on Medicare coverage, go to Medicare.gov.

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Can I Use a Paper Application to Get Obamacare?

When Obamacare first launched, the federal and state health insurance marketplaces (also called “exchanges”) were plagued by technical troubles. Many people who tried to sign up for new health insurance plans online in the early days were unable to complete their applications.

Because of these difficulties, some individuals and application assistants turned to the old-school way of getting health insurance -- paper applications.

Applying on Paper May Not Be Better or Faster

When facing a slow or broken online health insurance exchange, using a paper application may seem tempting -- at least it would provide the feeling of getting something done. However, paper forms may not speed up the process at all. On the contrary, they could slow down your application even more.

The worker who reviews your paper application must manually enter the information from your forms into the same system you would use online at your state’s exchange. It won’t work any faster for them than it does for you. Plus, using a paper application opens up more opportunity for error by putting more people between you and your goal of getting insurance.

It’s still best to apply online if you can. That said, if you feel that you’re unlikely to come back and apply for health insurance later, you may want to go ahead and complete a paper application now.

To get a paper application, call the Healthcare.gov customer service center and let them know you want to apply on paper. They'll point you to a downloadable application or send you one in the mail. For detailed Healthcare.gov contact information, see How To Sign Up for Obamacare in Illinois.

How an Insurance Agent or Broker Can Help You Sign Up for Obamacare in Illinois

If you’re confused by your health care choices under the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) -- or if you’re having a difficult time completing an application -- there are many ways to get help. For example, you can call the Illinois health insurance exchange for telephone support or obtain free, in-person guidance from trained enrollment counselor. You can also seek help from a licensed insurance agent or broker.

Given the technical flaws in many online health care marketplaces, getting help from an agent or broker has become an attractive option for many people. Agents and brokers, while grappling with most of the same delays and hassles faced by individuals, can make the process easier in several important ways, including:

determining whether you qualify for subsidies
helping you compare plan prices and coverage details, while explaining any complicated features or terms
recommending plans that would be best for you (government enrollment assistants are not permitted to suggest specific plans), and
walking you through the application process.

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When Are You Legally Required to Report “Life Changes” to the Illinois Health Insurance Exchange?

Are you planning to get married, change jobs, or move to a new state? If so, you might have to share your big news with Healthcare.gov.

Which Changes Must You Report?

If you buy a health insurance plan through the Illinois marketplace, the Affordable Care Act requires you to report changes that may affect your insurance coverage. These changes include:

moving to a new state or insurance coverage area
significant changes in income
getting new health coverage through a job
signing up for Medicare or Medicaid
getting married or divorced
becoming pregnant, having a child, adopting a child, or placing a child for adoption
losing or gaining a dependent
becoming disabled, and
other changes that affect your income or household size.

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About This Website

We built this website to get people the answers they need about the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). Our goal is to guide you to reliable, local information about your new health insurance options.

When you choose your state or enter your zip code here, you will quickly learn:

whether or not you're required to get health insurance
what the available plans cover
how much coverage will cost, and
how to sign up in your state.

For those concerned about cost, we show you how to determine whether you qualify for subsidies.

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