Health Insurance for Electricians in Illinois
Whether you work for a shop in Chicago or run your own crew elsewhere in Illinois, most electricians I work with choose a private plan priced on their health, not their income, that can start any month if approved. The right fit still depends on how you are licensed and paid and what Illinois's rules allow. Marketplace premiums in Illinois are rising 14% to 14.1% on average for 2027, which makes the private option worth pricing first.
Private health insurance in Illinois
Most electricians I help in Illinois end up on a private plan, not a Marketplace plan. Private, medically underwritten health insurance is priced on your age, zip code and health instead of your income, so a strong year never raises your premium and there is no tax credit to pay back in April.
Why people leave the Marketplace
- Premiums keep climbing. Illinois Marketplace premiums are rising 14% to 14.1% on average for 2027.
- The subsidy cliff. Above 400 percent of the poverty level ($63,840 for one person, $132,000 for a family of four) you pay full price.
- Surprise tax bills. Underestimate your income and you repay the tax credit in April.
- Narrow networks. Many plans are local HMOs or EPOs that need referrals and cover little outside the area.
- High out-of-pocket costs. 2027 out-of-pocket maximums reach $12,000 per person and $24,000 per family.
- One window a year. Outside open enrollment you need a qualifying life event to enroll or switch.
What a private plan does differently
- Start any month. If approved, coverage can begin the first of next month, with no wait for open enrollment.
- Networks that travel. Many private plans use national PPO networks, which can give you in-network doctors outside Illinois too. Networks vary by plan.
- Can cost less than full-price Marketplace plans for some healthy applicants above the subsidy line.
- Accident coverage the Marketplace does not offer. A private plan can be paired with accident coverage, a separate policy. What it includes varies by plan.
- Approval is based on health. You answer health questions, and acceptance is not guaranteed.
With a significant health condition, or income low enough for a large tax credit, a Marketplace plan can be the better fit, and I will tell you if it is. Either way you see both side by side.
Private plans are not ACA Marketplace plans. Benefits, exclusions and pre-existing condition rules differ by plan and by state, so review the plan details before you enroll.
Get a private plan quoteLearn more: coverage not based on income · how underwriting works · private vs Obamacare · PPO plans for individuals · switching from the Marketplace
Illinois health insurance in 2027
Illinois' finalized 2027 individual-market increase averages about 14 percent, close to the national average, while small-group plans rise faster at about 18 percent. Six insurers filed individual plans, which gives Illinois more choice than many states.
- Marketplace rates: up 14% to 14.1% on average for 2027 (final), with 6 insurers filing.
- Benchmark silver plan, age 40: $707 a month in 2027, up from $646 in 2026.
- The subsidy cliff in Illinois: earning $1 over $63,840 costs a single 60-year-old about $11,492 more a year for that plan, and $1 over $86,560 costs a 60-year-old couple about $27,187.
- Where to enroll: Get Covered Illinois, the state's own exchange, which sets its own 2027 enrollment dates.
More: Illinois 2027 rate changes · 2027 subsidy cliff by state. General information, not tax advice.
Electrician work in Illinois
Illinois electricians work on Chicago high-rises and data centers, manufacturing across the state, and residential service in the suburbs. Because the state does not license electricians, the rules depend heavily on the city, with Chicago running its own supervising electrician license.
Electrician licensing in Illinois
Illinois has no statewide electrician license. Cities may require electrical contractors to register, for a fee of up to $25 a year, and a contractor registered in one city cannot be required to register again in another. Chicago separately licenses supervising electricians, and every Chicago electrical contractor must employ one.
Working in Illinois's construction market
Illinois has one of the highest union membership rates in the country, about 13 percent, and many Chicago-area electricians, plumbers and pipefitters get coverage through their union's health and welfare fund. Outside the unions, and outside Chicago, many tradespeople work for small contractors or for themselves. Licensing is unusual too: the state licenses plumbers and roofers but leaves electricians, HVAC and general contractors to cities.
Illinois coverage rules that matter to you
- Leaving a small employer: Illinois requires insured group plans to offer up to 12 months of continuation after three months of coverage, and gives divorced or widowed spouses up to two years, or until Medicare if they are 55 or older.
- Short-term plans: Illinois banned new short-term health plans starting January 1, 2025.
- Where to enroll: Illinois uses its own exchange, Get Covered Illinois, which replaced HealthCare.gov for 2026. Get Covered Illinois sets its own open enrollment dates; check its site for 2027 deadlines. Private, medically underwritten plans can start the first of any month if approved.
- 2027 rates: individual plans 14% to 14.1% on average, small-group plans about 17.6%. See the Illinois 2027 rate page.
What electricians need from a health plan
Electrical work carries real injury risk: shocks, burns, falls from ladders and lifts. That argues for a plan whose out-of-pocket maximum you could actually pay, and for asking about a separate accident policy; what it includes varies by plan. Electricians who run their own shop also need disability income insurance, because an injured contractor's income stops while overhead does not.
Journeyman, master or contractor
Your coverage options change as your career does. An apprentice or journeyman working for a shop may have an employer plan. A master electrician who goes out on their own, or works 1099 for several contractors, buys individual coverage. Once you hire employees, a small-group plan or an individual coverage HRA becomes possible. Each step is a chance to compare, not just renew.
When the Marketplace still makes sense
The Marketplace fits two groups: electricians with a significant health condition, because acceptance is guaranteed, and households whose 2027 income stays under 400 percent of the poverty level ($63,840 for one person, $132,000 for a family of four), where a tax credit can lower the price. Many licensed electricians in Chicago, Peoria, Rockford and Champaign-Urbana earn above that line in a good year, and above it the Marketplace costs full price. The subsidy cliff guide explains the math.
Quote for an electrician in Illinois
Private plans priced first, with the Marketplace alongside when it fits. No fee.
Questions from Illinois electricians
Do electricians in Illinois need a state license?
Illinois has no statewide electrician license. Cities may require electrical contractors to register, for a fee of up to $25 a year, and a contractor registered in one city cannot be required to register again in another. Chicago separately licenses supervising electricians, and every Chicago electrical contractor must employ one.
How much are Illinois health insurance premiums rising for 2027?
Individual-market premiums in Illinois are set to rise 14% to 14.1% on average for 2027, and small-group plans about 17.6%. Households above 400 percent of the poverty level get no tax credit and pay the full increase.
What happens to my coverage if I leave a small electrician shop in Illinois?
Illinois requires insured group plans to offer up to 12 months of continuation after three months of coverage, and gives divorced or widowed spouses up to two years, or until Medicare if they are 55 or older. Losing employer coverage also opens a 60-day Marketplace special enrollment period, and if approved, a private plan can start the first of any month.
What health insurance do self-employed electricians use?
Most use either a private, medically underwritten PPO, especially if they are healthy and above the subsidy line, or a Marketplace plan, especially if their income qualifies for a credit or they have a health condition.
Should electricians carry accident insurance?
It is worth pricing. It is a separate policy, and what it includes varies by plan.
Sources: ilga.gov, dph.illinois.gov, ilga.gov, getcovered.illinois.gov. Facts checked October 21, 2026. More on health insurance in Illinois.
Electricians in other states
Other trades in Illinois
Written by Frank Caballero, licensed health insurance agent in Illinois and 30 other states, NPN 21032307.