Access Health Benefits
Our Benefits Navigation Specialists can help you understand and access benefits you are eligible to receive, shop for a health insurance plan and more.
Medicaid
We can help you apply for or complete your renewal for Medicaid programs. These include:
Adult ACA Medicaid
In Illinois, Medicaid covers 19 to 64-year-olds who meet immigration and income requirements:
- Immigration status U.S. citizens, legal permanent residents for at least five years, victims of trafficking, have entered the US as refugees or asylees, currently covered by the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), or special Iraqi/Afghan immigrants, among others. Applicants for any of these immigration benefits might also qualify for Medicaid.
- Income Depends on family size. For example, a single person with no dependents must earn less than $1,396/month to qualify for this program; a family of four must earn less than $2,887/month.
Children, pregnant people, and people 55 and older may apply for Medicaid regardless of immigration status.
All Kids & Moms & Babies
Moms and Babies and All Kids is available to children under 19 and pregnant women, regardless of immigration status. These two programs have higher income eligibility thresholds than Adult Medicaid. For instance, a single pregnant woman can earn up to $2,922/month and qualify for full coverage. For a child to qualify for All Kids, a family of four can earn up to $6,652/month. There might be small fees (premiums, copays, etc.) for those on the higher end of this income scale.
Medicaid Presumptive Eligibility Coverage
Pregnant women can receive Medicaid Presumptive Eligibility Coverage (MPE), temporary outpatient insurance while their Moms & Babies application is being processed. MPE coverage is awarded to individuals who have a pregnancy verification letter, attest to living in Illinois, and meet certain income criteria.
Other programs we can help with include: Senior Immigrant, Adult & Family Care Health Benefits for Adult Immigrants, and Aid to the Blind, Aged, and Disabled (AABD).
Affordable Care Act Marketplace
Learn if you qualify for a Marketplace plan! Benefits include:
- Discounts on your monthly payment (APTCs)
- Lower out-of-pocket costs like deductibles, copayments, etc. (CSRs)
Use your Marketplace plans such as Ambetter HMO, Bright Health HMO, Cigna Connect HMO, and Molina HMO here! Marketplace open enrollment is typically November to January, or any time you have a qualifying life event, including loss of other health coverage, change in your household, change in residence, or other qualifying event (see the list at healthcare.gov).
Benefits Navigator
Our Benefits Navigators can help you see if you can change your plan before you are locked in for a year, change your primary care provider with your Medicaid plan, and answer any other questions you may have.
What to Bring to an Appointment with a Benefits Navigator:
To apply for health insurance, bring the following documents for ALL the members in your family:
- Picture ID and social security card (if any)
- Proof of your address in Illinois, IL state ID or driver’s license, Lease or Gas/electricity bill, Letter from school, etc.
- Proof of Pregnancy (if applying because of pregnancy)
- Proof of income (if any), most recent income tax return
AND
- Check stubs for the past 30 days, letter from employer (if paid cash) AND/OR
- If you are self-employed, make a list of your gross income AND business expenses for the past 30 days AND/OR
- Award letter from Social security office, unemployment, etc.
- Proof of citizenship or immigration status (if any), I94/passport, Citizenship certificate, Birth certificate, Green card, Employment authorization card
- Birth certificate for children applying for All Kids
- Previous/current medical/insurance card (s) for anyone in your family
If you are offered health insurance at your job, ask the following:
- How much is the employee-only coverage and how often would you have to pay?
- How much is the employee + spouse coverage and how often would you have to pay?
- Does the plan meet MEC (minimum essential coverage)?
If you have/had a plan through the Marketplace (healthcare.gov) bring the account log in information and information about your current plan (User ID and Password).
If you don’t have some of the documents above, let us know and we can talk about your options.
