How health insurance works in Illinois
Illinoisans buying their own coverage have two markets: Get Covered Illinois (getcoveredillinois.gov), where plans from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, Ambetter, Aetna CVS Health, and Oscar are guaranteed-issue and priced on income, and the private shared-network market, where PPO plans on Cigna, Aetna and PHCS PPO are underwritten and priced on age and health.
Medicaid is expanded in Illinois. Illinois has no state individual mandate.
What it costs
Full-price marketplace plans for a 40-year-old in Chicago commonly run $550–$850 a month in 2026; with a subsidy, often under $300. Private PPOs for the same healthy person run roughly $320–$480. Illinois has a flat 4.95% state income tax, so the self-employed premium deduction helps at both levels.
The Illinois picture
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.