Illinois' state health insurance marketplace, Get Covered Illinois, is giving residents more than two extra weeks to enroll in health insurance.

The deadline to apply for and enroll in coverage is now Jan. 31.  Coverage begins on Feb. 1, 2026.

Health insurance premiums have jumped seismically since the Republican-controlled Congress allowed Affordable Care Act tax credits to expire at the end of 2025. The tax credits' extension was at the center of the country's longest-ever government shutdown, which ended without securing an extension. They have subsidized premiums for millions of Americans who have coverage in state-run exchanges like Get Covered Illinois.

Illinois replaced healthcare.gov with Get Covered Illinois at the end of the year. Officials estimated about 100,000 Illinois residents would be priced out of health insurance completely when the subsidies expired, forcing them to go without health coverage. Doctors and medical workers braced for an influx of uninsured patients in the new year.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a three-year ACA tax credit extension on Jan. 8 in a 230 to 196 vote, with 17 Republicans crossing the aisle and joining with Democrats to approve it. That bill is now with the Senate, where its fate is not known.

Meanwhile, some Americans have said they will simply go without health insurance amid spiking premiums and costs. Since it was introduced in 2010, the Affordable Care Act has been central to cutting the share of uninsured Americans from an estimated 15% to 8%, advocates say. 

Please note: The above video is from a previous, related report.