Solo owner
You're an individual buyer with the self-employed deduction. Price both markets.
You plus one
A spouse on payroll or one W-2 employee opens guaranteed-issue small-group coverage. Often the answer when one person has a condition.
3–50 employees
Level-funded and traditional group plans, deductible to the business. Under 50 there's no mandate to offer coverage. Illinois moved to its own state-run marketplace, Get Covered Illinois, for 2026 coverage, and Chicago-area marketplace plans are heavily HMO — one reason suburban business owners look at national PPOs.