Madrinas Insurance is a licensed insurance agency. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by the federal government or any state marketplace. Plan availability, premiums, and savings vary by plan, carrier, service area, age, and financial-assistance eligibility. This is a solicitation for insurance. Language assistance services are available free of charge. / Hay servicios de asistencia lingüística disponibles de forma gratuita.
Quick Answer: Get Covered Illinois is the state’s official health insurance marketplace at getcovered.illinois.gov, launched when Illinois left HealthCare.gov for the 2026 plan year. The store moved but the rules did not: same protections, same guaranteed acceptance, same kind of financial help, now applied through a fresh Illinois account. Open enrollment for 2027 is expected to run November 1, 2026 through January 15, 2027; confirm final dates on the official site.
For years, buying your own health insurance in Illinois meant HealthCare.gov. That changed when the state launched Get Covered Illinois and took the marketplace into its own hands, becoming one of the newest state-run exchanges in the country.
A new store raises fair questions: what actually changed, what stayed the same, and what do returning shoppers need to do differently? This guide answers all three in plain language, starting with the one that trips people up: the account.
What You Will Learn
- What Get Covered Illinois is, and why the state built its own marketplace
- What actually changed in the move, and what stayed exactly the same
- Why returning shoppers need a fresh account, and when to create it
- How one application can route your family to a plan with credits or to Medicaid
- The expected 2027 dates, with the confirm-first caution Illinois deserves
- How a Madrinas madrina helps you through it, free and bilingual
What Is Get Covered Illinois?
Get Covered Illinois is the official, state-run marketplace where residents compare and buy individual and family health plans at getcovered.illinois.gov. The plans come from private insurance companies, every marketplace plan covers essential benefits like doctor visits, hospital care, prescriptions, and preventive care, and it is the only place Illinois residents can apply premium tax credits that lower the monthly bill. Shopping anywhere else means shopping without your discount.
What Actually Changed, and What Did Not?
Think of it as the store moving across the street while keeping the same shelves. What changed: the website, the login, and the customer support are now Illinois’s own, and unlike some states that migrated accounts automatically, shoppers who used HealthCare.gov before need a fresh account on getcovered.illinois.gov. What did not change: the consumer protections, the guaranteed acceptance regardless of health history, the plan categories, and the kind of financial help you can qualify for. The law behind the marketplace is the same; the state is simply running the front door itself.
Who Is the Marketplace For?
It exists for people without job-based coverage: the self-employed, small-business owners, gig and hourly workers, and families in between jobs. And Illinois built one genuinely helpful feature into the front door: the application integrates Medicaid routing, so one form checks multiple programs and sends each member of your household toward what fits, a marketplace plan with credits, or Medicaid, without you having to guess which door to knock on first.
Can You Save on Get Covered Illinois?
Many Illinois households qualify for premium tax credits, and this marketplace is the only place in the state where they apply. The amount depends on household size and income, so the honest answer is personal: you may qualify for meaningful savings, and only your own estimate knows your number. The marketplace shows prices with your potential help applied before you commit, and a licensed madrina can run that estimate with you for free.
Key Dates and Facts for 2027
- Open enrollment: expected to run November 1, 2026 through January 15, 2027. Illinois is new to running its own calendar, so confirm the final 2027 dates on getcovered.illinois.gov closer to the season.
- The account move: returning shoppers need a fresh account on getcovered.illinois.gov. Create and verify it in October, before the window opens, so November is for shopping, not passwords.
- January 1 coverage: enrolling early in the window is how you start the year covered; the marketplace publishes the exact cutoff for a January 1 start.
- Outside the window: qualifying life events open special enrollment periods during the year. And Illinois taught a useful lesson in its first season: when a state moves systems, transition windows can appear, so watch official announcements.
How a Madrinas Madrina Helps
A Madrinas madrina walks you through Get Covered Illinois in plain language: your fresh account set up correctly, your household and income organized, your potential savings checked, your doctors and medicines verified in each finalist plan’s own lists, and your enrollment completed with the first payment explained so coverage actually activates. The consultation is free, in English and Spanish, by phone anywhere in Illinois. Every life change deserves a madrina. Call 855-MADRINA to get started.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Get Covered Illinois the same as Obamacare?
It is Illinois’s version of the marketplace created under the law nicknamed Obamacare. Same protections, same guaranteed acceptance, same kind of financial help; the difference is that Illinois now runs the platform itself at getcovered.illinois.gov instead of using HealthCare.gov.
I had a HealthCare.gov account. Does it still work?
Not for Illinois shopping: the state’s move means returning shoppers need a fresh account on getcovered.illinois.gov. Have your household details and current plan information handy, create the account before the window opens, and a free call with a madrina can set it up with you.
When can I enroll for 2027?
Open enrollment is expected to run November 1, 2026 through January 15, 2027, but Illinois is new to setting its own calendar, so confirm the final dates on getcovered.illinois.gov. Enroll early in the window if you want coverage active on January 1.
How much does help from Madrinas cost?
Nothing: the consultation is free, because licensed agents are paid by the insurance companies, and the plan price is identical with or without our help. You may qualify for savings you have not seen yet, and a free estimate is how you find out.
Key Takeaways
- Get Covered Illinois is the state’s official marketplace at getcovered.illinois.gov, replacing HealthCare.gov for Illinois.
- The store moved, the rules did not: same protections, same guaranteed acceptance, same kind of financial help.
- Returning shoppers need a fresh account: create and verify it in October, so November is for shopping, not passwords.
- One application checks multiple programs, routing each family member to a plan with credits or to Medicaid.
- Open enrollment for 2027 is expected November 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027; confirm final dates on the official site.
- A Madrinas madrina guides you through it free, in English and Spanish, by phone across Illinois.
New store, fresh account, same you? A free call sets it all up in plain language.
★ Your Health, Our Purpose
A Madrinas madrina will help you create your Get Covered Illinois account, check what savings you may qualify for, verify your doctors, and complete your enrollment, all for free, in English and Spanish. Every life change deserves a madrina. Call 855-MADRINA (855-623-7462), available seven days a week.
Madrinas Insurance · madrinasinsurance.com · 855-MADRINA (855-623-7462)
