CoveredFarmers

Self-Employed Health Insurance in Illinois

Self-employed health insurance in Illinois changed address for 2026. The state now runs its own marketplace, Get Covered Illinois, in place of healthcare.gov, and it did so in the same year the enhanced ACA subsidies ended and rates went up. If you farm downstate or work for yourself, start here.

  • Decatur
  • Effingham
  • Quincy

Updated October 2026 Reviewed by Ryan Michalek, licensed health insurance advisor, NPN 21043091

The moment this page is for

You buy your own coverage because there is no employer behind you. This year the renewal came in higher, and the website you used last time is not where Illinois shops any more. Decatur, Effingham, Quincy: the question is the same in each. Where do I go now, and is the plan I have still the right one.

What changed in Illinois for 2026

On November 1, 2025, Illinois moved off healthcare.gov to its own marketplace, Get Covered Illinois. That is where Illinois residents now compare marketplace plans and apply for help with the cost.

The Illinois Department of Insurance reported a statewide weighted average rate increase of 28.8% for 2026 individual plans, before subsidies. The enhanced ACA subsidies also expired at the end of 2025. What a household pays depends on its plan and income, not on the average.

The figure the application asks for

Wherever you apply, the marketplace asks what you expect to earn in the coverage year. For a corn and soybean farm that turns on yields, prices and timing. Working that estimate out before you sit down saves a second pass later.

Who to talk to

Ryan Michalek at Michalek Health Solutions is the licensed advisor we refer Illinois readers to. NPN 21043091, NABIP member #525458, both public and both worth looking up before you talk to anyone about coverage, us included.

He will also tell you when the answer is to stay put. That happens often enough to be worth saying out loud.

Licensed advisor · Referral partner

Ryan Michalek

Michalek Health Solutions

NPN
21043091
NABIP member
525458

Our licensed partner is five-star reviewed on Google. The rating is the partner’s own.

Both numbers are public records. Worth checking before you talk to anyone about coverage, this site included.

Talk to a licensed advisor

Michalek Health Solutions (NPN 21043091) is the licensed advisor CoveredFarmers refers Illinois readers to.

Get my options

Illinois FAQ

Is CoveredFarmers an insurance agency?

No. CoveredFarmers is an independent information and referral resource, not an insurance agency or carrier. We connect you with a licensed insurance advisor, Michalek Health Solutions (NPN 21043091), and he is the one who can talk through what applies to you in Illinois.

Do Illinois households still use healthcare.gov?

No. Since November 1, 2025, Illinois residents shop for marketplace plans and apply for help with the cost on Get Covered Illinois, the state's own marketplace. If a subsidized plan there still fits your household, that is usually the simpler path.

My income moves with the harvest. Does that matter here?

Yes. A marketplace application asks for the income you expect in the coverage year, and a farm year rarely matches the one before it. Our guide on estimating farm income shows how to get to that figure.

What happens when I send the form?

It goes to Ryan Michalek at Michalek Health Solutions, a licensed advisor. He looks at your situation and tells you what options are open to you in Illinois, including when the answer is that your current plan is already the right one. There is no fee to you for the conversation.