Prescription savings guide

Losing Health Insurance in Illinois (2026 Guide)

Last updated September 8, 2026 · Reviewed by the LowerScript editorial team · Español

If you've lost job-based health insurance in Illinois, you generally have 60 days to enroll in a Marketplace plan through Illinois's own exchange, Get Covered Illinois, under a special enrollment period — or you can elect COBRA to continue your old employer plan (usually at full premium cost). Illinois has also adopted the ACA Medicaid expansion, so check your Medicaid eligibility too. In the meantime, a free discount card keeps prescription costs down no matter what coverage you end up with.

Your options, in order

1. 1

   COBRA

   Continues your exact former employer plan, but you pay the full premium — compare this cost against a Get Covered Illinois plan before deciding.

2. 2

   Get Covered Illinois special enrollment

   Losing job-based coverage triggers a special enrollment period, generally 60 days, to sign up for a plan through Get Covered Illinois — the state's own exchange starting with the 2026 plan year, replacing HealthCare.gov for Illinois residents (Illinois Department of Human Services; Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services launch notice). 448,568 Illinoisans selected a 2026 Marketplace plan, per healthinsurance.org's summary of the Get Covered Illinois transition, and eight out of 10 enrollees were eligible for a subsidy on their 2026 plan, per the same source. Those 2026 plans already reflect real increases: the Illinois Department of Insurance's own analysis of 2026 on-exchange rates found the benchmark Silver plan rose an average of 34% statewide and the lowest-cost Bronze tier rose 15% — for example, a 21-year-old non-smoker in the Chicago rating area saw the benchmark Silver premium rise from about $306 to $389 a month (Illinois Department of Insurance, 2026 Analysis of Illinois On-Exchange Plans). Looking ahead, Illinois insurers' initial 2027 rate filings — still subject to final Illinois Department of Insurance review before the November 1, 2026 start of open enrollment — proposed a weighted-average increase of about 14% for individual-market plans and about 15% for small-group plans, as of September 2026, per healthinsurance.org's summary of Illinois rate-filing data; these are proposed figures, not a final, approved rate.

3. 3

   Medicaid

   Illinois adopted the ACA Medicaid expansion effective January 1, 2014 (KFF). If your income is low enough, you may qualify — non-elderly adults qualify up to 138% of the federal poverty level (healthinsurance.org, Medicaid eligibility and enrollment in Illinois). See prescription help for the uninsured in Illinois for eligibility detail.

Keep filling prescriptions in the meantime

Whichever option you choose, gaps happen. A free LowerScript card works with no insurance at all, so you can keep filling your regular medications while you sort out longer-term coverage.

Frequently asked questions

Sources: healthinsurance.org, Illinois Health Insurance Marketplace: 2026 ACA Coverage Guide; KFF, Status of State Medicaid Expansion Decisions; healthinsurance.org, Medicaid eligibility and enrollment in Illinois; Illinois Department of Human Services, Get Covered Illinois; Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, Get Covered Illinois launch notice. This guide is general information, not medical, legal or financial advice. Confirm deadlines and eligibility at getcovered.illinois.gov. LowerScript is a discount program, not insurance.

More guides: Prescription Help for the Uninsured in Illinois · Illinois Prescription Assistance Programs · Insurance vs Cash Price: Which Is Cheaper?  |  All savings guides · Drug prices