Illinois
Cheapest ACA plans in Illinois for 2026
Cheapest Bronze plan in Illinois, before subsidies: Oscar Health Plan, Inc. Bronze Simple (Choice) in Grundy County at $329/month for a 40-year-old; Oscar Health Plan, Inc. Bronze Simple (Choice) in Grundy County at $1,053/month for a family of four (two 40-year-olds and two kids under 14). Illinois runs its own state-based exchange (Get Covered Illinois), expanded Medicaid in 2014, and relies on federal APTC with no state premium wraparound.
Cheapest plans by metal tier
Lowest 2026 monthly premium for a single 40-year-old, on-exchange, before any subsidy. Per-age figures derived from the CMS QHP Landscape file using the HHS standardized age-rating curve (45 CFR 147.102).
| Tier | Cheapest age 40 monthly | Plans statewide |
|---|---|---|
| Catastrophic | $315 | 111 |
| Bronze | $329 | 276 |
| Expanded Bronze | $346 | 567 |
| Gold | $410 | 905 |
| Silver | $497 | 1,031 |
The actual cheapest plan in major counties
Same data the search returns: carrier, plan name, monthly premium, individual deductible, individual MOOP. Computed for a single 40-year-old, before any subsidy. Catastrophic plans excluded because adults 30+ typically need a hardship-exemption certificate to enroll.
Cook County
$373/moOscar Health Plan, Inc. · Bronze Simple (Select)
DuPage County
$376/moOscar Health Plan, Inc. · Bronze Simple (Choice)
Lake County
$390/moOscar Health Plan, Inc. · Bronze Simple (Choice)
Will County
$329/moOscar Health Plan, Inc. · Bronze Simple (Choice)
Kane County
$376/moOscar Health Plan, Inc. · Bronze Simple (Choice)
McHenry County
$390/moOscar Health Plan, Inc. · Bronze Simple (Choice)
The actual cheapest plan for a family of four
Two 40-year-old adults and two kids in the 0-14 age band, before any subsidy. Carrier, plan name, premium, deductible, and MOOP exactly as the search would return them.
Cook County
$1,193/moOscar Health Plan, Inc. · Bronze Simple (Select)
DuPage County
$1,202/moOscar Health Plan, Inc. · Bronze Simple (Choice)
Lake County
$1,248/moOscar Health Plan, Inc. · Bronze Simple (Choice)
Will County
$1,053/moOscar Health Plan, Inc. · Bronze Simple (Choice)
Kane County
$1,202/moOscar Health Plan, Inc. · Bronze Simple (Choice)
McHenry County
$1,248/moOscar Health Plan, Inc. · Bronze Simple (Choice)
Subsidies: federal APTC only (no state premium subsidy)
Illinois does not fund a supplemental state premium subsidy or §1332 reinsurance waiver. Marketplace help is federal only:
- Federal Advance Premium Tax Credit (APTC). Households 100-400% FPL on the PY2026 standard ACA contribution curve, applied through Get Covered Illinois. The ARPA / IRA enhanced subsidies expired 2025-12-31 and are not in effect for 2026, so the hard 400% FPL cliff is back.
- Federal cost-sharing reductions (CSRs). Households 100-250% FPL enrolled in a Silver plan receive reduced deductibles, copays, and out-of-pocket maximums automatically.
Illinois expanded Medicaid under the ACA effective January 1, 2014. Adults 19-64 up to 138% FPL qualify regardless of parental status or disability, administered by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS), so there is no coverage gap in Illinois.
Catastrophic plans in Illinois follow federal rules
Illinois follows the federal ACA default: Catastrophic plans are available to enrollees under age 30, or at any age with a hardship / affordability exemption. The PY2026 federal auto-expansion applies: adults 30+ automatically qualify when the lowest-cost Bronze plan exceeds the affordability threshold. APTC does not apply to Catastrophic plans.
Tobacco surcharges follow the federal 1.5x default in Illinois
Illinois applies the federal ACA default (45 CFR 147.102): carriers may charge tobacco users up to 50% more than non-users (a 1.5-to-1 rate ratio). The Illinois Department of Insurance reviews rate filings under 215 ILCS 5. No Illinois-specific cap below the federal 1.5x ceiling has been identified. Federal APTC does not offset the tobacco portion of the premium.
Carriers selling 2026 plans in Illinois
7 carriers sell 2026 plans on Get Covered Illinois. 3,375 plans across 102 counties. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (HCSC) anchors the statewide individual market across all 102 counties and is often the only on-exchange carrier in downstate counties. UnitedHealthcare, Ambetter (Celtic), Cigna Healthcare, Oscar, Molina, and MercyCare Health Plans compete in Chicago-area counties (Cook, DuPage, Lake, Will, Kane, McHenry) and other metros.
Enrollment
Open Enrollment for 2026 coverage on Get Covered Illinois runs November 1, 2025 through January 15, 2026. Enroll by December 15 for a January 1 effective date; December 16 through January 15 takes effect February 1. Special Enrollment is available year-round for qualifying life events.
Direct enrollment: getcoveredillinois.gov.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest ACA plan in Illinois for 2026?
The cheapest Bronze-tier plan a 40-year-old can enroll in without paperwork is Oscar Health Plan, Inc. Bronze Simple (Choice) in Grundy County at $329 per month before subsidies. Data refreshed 2026-04-19T08:08:55.462Z.
Is Illinois on Healthcare.gov?
No. Illinois launched its own state-based exchange, Get Covered Illinois, for PY2026. Previously Illinois used Healthcare.gov as an SBE-FP, but enrollment now runs through the state platform at getcoveredillinois.gov.
Has Illinois expanded Medicaid?
Yes, effective January 1, 2014. Illinois was an early-adopter expansion state. Adults 19-64 with income up to 138% FPL qualify regardless of parental status or disability, administered by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. There is no coverage gap in Illinois.
When is Illinois Open Enrollment for 2026?
Get Covered Illinois Open Enrollment runs November 1, 2025 through January 15, 2026. Enroll by December 15 for a January 1 effective date; enrollments December 16 through January 15 take effect February 1. Special Enrollment is available year-round for qualifying life events.
Why are many Illinois counties only showing Blue Cross plans?
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois (a division of HCSC) has dominated the Illinois individual market for years and is frequently the only on-exchange carrier in rural downstate counties. Ambetter (Celtic), Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, Oscar, and Molina compete primarily in the Chicago metro area. Aetna CVS exited the Illinois individual market for PY2026.
Does Illinois have a state premium subsidy on top of federal APTC?
No. Illinois does not fund a state premium assistance program or §1332 reinsurance waiver. The only financial help for Marketplace enrollees is federal APTC and CSRs, and the ARPA/IRA enhanced credits expired at the end of 2025.
Compare Illinois with other states
- Wisconsin (shares a border)
- Indiana (shares a border)
- Kentucky (shares a border)
- See all 51 jurisdictions side by side
Browse county pages in Illinois
County-level pricing pages with the cheapest plan in each county.
Browse city pages in Illinois
City-level pricing pages for major Illinois cities.
Carriers in Illinois
Per-carrier 2026 pricing pages with the cheapest plan from each carrier.
Sources
- Get Covered Illinois for SBE enrollment, OEP dates, and APTC application.
- Illinois Department of Insurance for rate review, carrier filings, and consumer guidance.
- Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services for Medicaid eligibility and expansion enrollment.
- KFF: Illinois State Health Facts for Medicaid expansion, enrollment, and benchmark premium context.
- CMS 2026 OEP National Snapshot for federal Marketplace enrollment context.
- CMS QHP Landscape Individual Medical 2026 for plan availability context (Illinois plan data ingests via the SBE separately).
Plan year 2026, last refreshed 2026-04-19T08:08:55.462Z. Full pricing pipeline + regulatory references at methodology; ACA terminology in the glossary.