New Illinois laws give state more control over Obamacare exchange, health insurance prices
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A pair of new laws are now in place in Illinois, aimed at making healthcare more affordable.
Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday signed legislation establishing a state-run healthcare marketplace to provide more options for individual and family plans by 2025. Currently, consumers must go to the federal government's healthcare.gov exchange to buy plans under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
Pritzker's office said the law will give state agencies "additional tools to create a more consumer-focused health insurance exchange and better identify traditionally uninsured communities."
"Operating our own healthcare marketplace gives us the dexterity to offer more enrollment windows, coordinate with nonprofit partners who help families navigate insurance choices, and protect Illinoisans from any future changes in federal policy that seek to undermine access to affordable healthcare – including access to reproductive healthcare," Pritzker said in a statement.
The other law Pritzker signed gives state regulators more control over proposed price increases for individual and small business health insurance plans starting in 2026.
The governor's office said, for the first time, insurers will be required to provide data on how they set their rates, and the Illinois Department of Insurance will have the authority to approve, reject, or change insurers' premium rates.
The law won't cover plans offered by large employers, since those are regulated by the federal government.
