News and Announcements

Today kicks off Open Enrollment for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Health Insurance Marketplace which runs from November 1, 2021 through January 15, 2022, allowing Illinoisans an additional month to enroll. For the 2022 plan year, the number of health insurance carriers on the ACA Marketplace is increasing again.

Final enrollment numbers for the ACA Health Insurance Marketplace show that more than 54-thousand Illinoisans purchased health plans during the Special Enrollment Period in response to COVID-19. It's more than double the number of Illinoisans enrolled in plans during the same six-month period in previous years.

Governor JB Pritzker today signed two pieces of legislation into law to establish a forward-thinking mental healthcare infrastructure in Illinois. House Bill 2595 requires medically necessary mental healthcare to be covered by insurance beginning January 1, 2023.

On Sunday, August 15th, the 2021 Special Enrollment Period (SEP) in Response to COVID-19 will close. The Biden-Harris Administration opened the SEP for the ACA Health Insurance Marketplace in February. Since then, more than 47-thousand Illinoisans have selected new health plans-- nearly double the enrollment during the same period last year.

Beginning this month, more unemployed Illinoisans in need of health insurance may be eligible for financial help to purchase plans on the ACA Marketplace. Consumers who received unemployment compensation for any week beginning in 2021 (or are approved to receive benefits) may find even lower cost plans and reduce out-of-pocket health insurance expenses, according to the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Illinoisans are signing up for ACA Health Insurance Marketplace plans at nearly twice the rate of this time last year, according to federal CMS numbers released this week. Nearly 15,000 Illinois consumers purchased and enrolled in health plans since February, when President Biden signed an executive order to open the ACA Marketplace for a new Special Enrollment in response to COVID-19. Unlike other SEPs, consumers are not required to provide proof of a qualifying life event, such as getting married, having a baby, or losing job-based coverage to enroll.

Eligible Illinoisans now have more time to sign up for ACA Health Insurance Marketplace plans. President Biden has extended the deadline for the Special Enrollment Period in Response to COVID-19 from May 15th to August 15th.

Chicago –Governor JB Pritzker is encouraging eligible Illinoisans who do not have health insurance to enroll in an ACA Health Insurance Marketplace plan beginning February 15th. An executive order signed by President Biden allows states, including Illinois, which utilize the federal marketplace to reopen this month to help more people purchase health insurance coverage. The 2021 Special Enrollment Period (SEP) in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic runs through May 15, 2021.

Illinoisans can shop for health insurance on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Health Insurance Marketplace. Open Enrollment began Sunday, November 1 and runs through December 15, 2020. The Illinois Department of Insurance (IDOI) recommends consumers begin their search at getcoveredillinois.gov to find accurate information to help compare health plans, get free enrollment help and even financial assistance (if they qualify).

Eight health insurance companies are offering Illinois consumers health plans this year with new carriers joining the ACA Marketplace. The Illinois Department of Insurance (IDOI) welcomes three new carriers as it releases health insurance rates for the Illinois Exchange 2021 Plan Year.