Here’s what you need to know about health insurance renewals
If you get Medicaid benefits, you should know that Illinois has begun the renewal (recertification) process. Due to the COVID pandemic, renewals were paused for the last three years. Now, Illinois is checking to see if people who receive benefits are still eligible. That means benefits could be reduced or even ended.
Don’t risk losing your health insurance. If you’re still eligible for Medicaid, make sure your contact information is up to date so you can receive and complete your renewal on time. Wait to submit your renewal until after you’ve been contacted – if you renew too soon, you could lose coverage earlier than necessary.
Make sure to ask who is in network for the plan you sign up for so that you can keep seeing the same doctors. To learn more, visit Medicaid.gov. For questions about renewing your Medicaid coverage, call 877-805-5312 (TTY: 877-204-1012) 7 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays.
Actions you can take today
Make sure your mailing address and other contact information are up to date
You can do this several ways:
- Online at Application for Benefits Eligibility (ABE) – Select “Manage My Case,” log in or create your account and update your contact information.
- Phone – Call toll-free 877-805-5312 (TTY: 877-204-1012) 7:45 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
- Report Medicaid Change of Address Form – Fill out the online form with your updated contact information and submit.
Watch for communication
Illinois Medicaid will contact you if you need to complete a renewal form.
Complete the renewal form
If you get a renewal form, fill it out and return it right away to help avoid a gap in Medicaid coverage.
Confirm your renewal date
It’s important that you renew on time – not too early and not too late, which could affect your benefits. Check your renewal date online at ABE.illinois.gov, where you can log in or create an account.
What if I no longer qualify for Medicaid?
If you’re no longer eligible to receive Medicaid coverage, you can select a health plan through the Affordable Care Act’s Health Insurance Marketplace®. Learn more about the Marketplace at healthcare.gov.
Blue Precision HMO℠ and BlueCare Direct℠, offered by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, are the plans offered through the Health Insurance Marketplace in collaboration with Advocate Health Care.
When you choose a plan that’s part of our network, you can continue getting care with Advocate – including seeing the doctors you know and trust. Take time to compare your options and make sure to choose a plan that includes Advocate Health Care doctors and hospitals.
See Advocate's Marketplace resources
Our financial advocates can help
- They can help you reenroll if you are still eligible for Medicaid.
- Certified application counselors can assist with Marketplace enrollment if you are no longer eligible for Medicaid.
- Our financial advocates can help in person and virtually.
Frequently asked questions about Medicaid renewals
During the global COVID pandemic, people getting Medicaid benefits did not have to renew their coverage each year. Because COVID is now less of a threat, starting April 1, 2023, everyone who receives Medicaid will have their information reviewed every 12 months to see if they can still receive benefits. This means the state of Illinois will use information they have to decide if you or your family members are still eligible for Medicaid coverage. If your state needs more information from you, they’ll send you a renewal letter in the mail. Your benefits could change or possibly even end.
This renewal process will not happen for everyone at the same time. You will be told when your renewal date is, so make sure your address is up to date.
- Online at Application for Benefits Eligibility (ABE)
- If applying for the first time, select “Apply for Benefits.”
- If reapplying or updating contact information, select “Manage My Case” and log in.
- Phone – Call toll-free 877-805-5312 (TTY: 877-204-1012) 7:45 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
- In person – Go to your local DHS Family Community Resource Center (FCRC). To find the FCRC for your county or ZIP code, use the DHS office locator or call 800-843-6154 (TTY: 800-447-6404). The call is free.
Advocate Health Care is included in these insurance plans:
- If you move or change your address
- If you are pregnant or your household size has changed
- If you have a new job or change in income
You can report changes to your caseworker, through ABE.illinois.gov or by calling the Change Report Line at 800-720-4166 (TTY: 800-447-6404).
If there have been no changes to your personal information, you don’t need to do anything.
Most people can change their health plan within 90 days of health plan enrollment.
When you enroll in a health plan, you can change your health plan for any reason within 90 days. After that, you can change your health plan:
- At your Medicaid renewal date
- If you’re required to change health plans
- If you have a special or “with cause” reason, such as:
- You moved out of your health plan’s service area.
- You have a family member in a different health plan.
- You cannot get all the related services you need from providers in your health plan, and there is a risk to getting the services separately.
- A different health plan may be better for your complex medical conditions.
- Your Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) provider is not in your health plan.
- Your health plan does not cover a service you need for moral or religious reasons.
You can change your health plan at any time for these reasons:
- You need services to address a mental health disorder, substance use disorder, intellectual/developmental disability (I/DD) or traumatic brain injury (TBI).
- You are a federally recognized tribal member or qualify for services through Indian Health Service (IHS).
To change your primary care provider within your current health plan’s provider network, please contact your health plan.