Illinois
As ACA tax credit debate continues in Congress, Illinois sees slight decrease in enrollment
Illinois is on track to have slightly fewer people enrolled in the Affordable Care Act marketplace this year following the expiration of enhanced tax subsidies that were at the center of last year’s federal government shutdown.
The 4% decrease in enrollment is, so far, less severe than what many experts and advocates had anticipated, especially since enrollees in Illinois were expected to see an average increase of 78% in their monthly premiums. Anywhere from 2 to 4 million people across the country were expected to become uninsured if the tax credits weren’t extended.
As of Jan. 4, Get Covered Illinois, the state-run marketplace, reported 445,335 Illinois residents had signed up for an Obamacare health insurance plan. People had to enroll in a plan by Dec. 31 so coverage could start by the first of the year, but enrollment is open through Jan. 15.
In 2025, a record 465,985 people across the state enrolled in the ACA, according to data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Get Covered Illinois did not provide further comment on enrollment figures.
Kathy Waligora, deputy director of external affairs at the Chicago-based EverThrive Illinois, which advocates for health care reform, said she was encouraged that the enrollment decline was minimal and that so many people actively chose a plan for this year.
While almost half of those enrolled by Jan. 4 were automatically re-enrolled in a plan, another 38% renewed by actively making a plan selection, according to Get Covered Illinois. About 13% of enrollees are new to the marketplace.
“Illinois has done a great job in sort of deploying navigators and marketing and all of these different resources to reach folks across Illinois and the data shows that was effective,” Waligora said.
Waligora said she worries about the people who were automatically enrolled in their plan, saying it’s unclear if individuals will be prepared to pay the likely higher monthly premiums.
Waligora said more data — such as how many individuals will get financial assistance for this year and what that looks like by region — is needed to assess the full impact of the expiration of the tax credits. She remained hopeful that there could still be a chance for the subsidies to be reinstated and extended for the coming years.
“I think that this should have been done in June, not September, not October, certainly not January,” Waligora said. “But it is good to see progress on this issue, and I sincerely hope that the Senate will take it up.”
This week, Republican lawmakers broke away from their leadership in the House and passed legislation to extend the subsidies, but the Senate isn’t required to take up the bill and has been working on an alternative plan, the Associated Press reported. Some Republicans have argued that Congress should consider a plan that would lower insurance costs for more Americans, not just those who use the marketplace.
Waligora is a leader in the Protect Our Care Illinois Coalition, which has been among the advocates pushing for the extension of the tax credits so plans could remain affordable. Many advocates worried people could become uninsured if they couldn’t afford the ACA plans.
In Illinois, about 85% of enrollees benefited from the subsidies, according to an analysis from KFF, a San Francisco-based health policy organization.
U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, who earlier this week visited the Cook County Health Bronzeville Health Center to talk about the tax credits, said any decline is concerning and cast blame on Republicans. Krishnamoorthi is a Democrat.
“Their failure has driven up costs and forced families across Illinois to reconsider or lose coverage,” he said Friday in a statement.
The enhanced tax credits date back to the COVID-19 pandemic when they were used to make the ACA plans more affordable by offering deeper levels of financial assistance and offering reduced benefits to middle-class enrollees that phase out as a person’s income rises.
Those subsidies had continued until they expired at the end of last year. Democrats wanted them extended but Congress was unable to come up with a resolution.
Last year, there was a 17% increase in enrollment in Illinois compared to 2024, mirroring a national trend of more people turning to the ACA for health insurance.
Across the country, there were 24.3 million people getting health insurance through the ACA, an increase from the 11.4 million people who were enrolled in 2020, according to federal data.
This year was the first time Illinois residents enrolled in Obamacare through a state-run marketplace.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (KFVS) – The Illinois General Assembly will be honoring U.S. Senator Dick Durbin at the State Capitol in Springfield on Wednesday, May 27.
Members of the Illinois House and Senate will meet in a rare joint session to salute Sen. Durbin’s nearly 44 years in Congress.
Governor JB Pritzker will also be attending.
During the joint session beginning at 12 p.m., Durbin will give a special address.
He is set to retire after his current term.
In April 2025, Durbin announced that he was not seeking re-election in 2026.
Durbin, a Democrat, was first elected to the U.S. Senate on November 5, 1996. He filled the seat left vacant after the retirement of U.S. Senator Paul Simon.
He also serves as the Senate Democratic Whip. He has been elected to that position every two years since 2005.
According to Durbin’s office, he’s the longest-serving senator in Illinois.
Copyright 2026 KFVS. All rights reserved.
CHICAGO (WLS) — There are new questions on Tuesday about how taxpayers could be impacted by the so-called “mega-projects” bill.
Lawmakers this week are finalizing the bill, which would provide tax breaks for developers of big projects, including a new Bears stadium.
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Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas is hoping a new report will give lawmakers something to think about as they work on the bill that could determine if the Bears stay in Illinois or move across the border to Indiana.
The Bears’ campaign for a new domed stadium in Arlington Heights hinges on legislative support for a bill that would provide them with property tax certainty over the next 40 years.
“It’s a complicated situation, because it’s not finalized, and there are hundreds of unanswered questions in this, but the primary question is, ‘What happens to Joe Homeowner?’ And there’s no fiscal impact study here,” Pappas said.
So, researchers from Pappas’ office looked into what impact the “mega-projects” bill would have, asking the question: How will taxpayers benefit if there’s no expansion of the property tax base and only limited sales tax benefit?
Their report says the tax on the current undeveloped property in Arlington Heights was $3.6 million in 2024.
Under the “mega-projects” bill, the tax would be frozen at that level with annual increase based on inflation. It would be coupled with a special annual payment to local taxing bodies estimated to be around $10 million.
Based on the estimated value of a new stadium, the Bears would get an annual tax break of $39 million.
Pappas’ message to Springfield is, “Put the brakes on and say, ‘What’s the fiscal impact, and what does that mean?’ That means, how much is the homeowner going to have to pick up if somebody gets a billion-and-a-half tax break?”
Before the end of the legislative session on Sunday night, lawmakers are trying to balance helping the Bears and taxpayers to avoid the possibility that the team gives up on Arlington Heights and instead leaves Soldier Field for the offer from Indiana to build a stadium in Hammond, which is the only other site the team says it is considering.
“The real comparison is between a negotiated payment on a real development versus zero taxes on a vacant or stalled site. I wish someone would do a report on that, because that’s the real question for Illinois people, Illinois taxpayers, to have to answer,” said Illinois state Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Chicago.
The governor’s office reiterated on Tuesday that his goal is to pass something that encourages large developments and protects the taxpayers.
While the clock is ticking for lawmakers to revise and pass a megaprojects bill, in Springfield terms, there always seems to be enough time to get done the things that need to get done.
Copyright © 2026 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.
Temperatures in the upper 80s are possible Tuesday and Wednesday, as “warm and dry conditions are expected for the majority of the week,” the National Weather Service shared.
Tuesday and Wednesday both have a high of 86 degrees. It will be cooler near the lake, with temps in the 70s.
The weather service said “daily lake breezes will keep temperatures cool near the lakeshore…”
Thursday will have a high of 81 and Friday a high of 82 degrees. According to the weather service, temps will be in the 60s near the lake for the end of the week.
The daily lake breezes and cold front will result in “building waves and dangerous swimming conditions at Lake Michigan beaches,” on Wednesday night and Thursday, according to the weather service.
The rest of the week should also remain dry, besides a low chance of showers and storms late Wednesday, the weather service said.
Here is a more detailed look at the weather for the rest of the week, per the weather service:
TUESDAY: Partly sunny, with a high near 84. Southeast wind around 5 mph, with gusts as high as 10 mph.
TUESDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm after midnight.
WEDNESDAY: Mostly sunny, with a high near 85. Light and variable wind becoming northeast 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 15 mph.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Mostly clear, with a low around 58. North northeast wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
THURSDAY: Sunny, with a high near 74. Northeast wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
THURSDAY NIGHT: Mostly clear, with a low around 52.
FRIDAY: Sunny, with a high near 80.
FRIDAY NIGHT: Mostly clear, with a low around 56.
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