ICHRA savings in Illinois
7 Illinois counties price individual coverage below small group. Employers there save up to $1,932 per employee per year.
Last updated: August 16, 2026 · plan-year 2026, lowest-cost silver (age 50), same year both markets.
Top Illinois counties by savings
Monthly benchmark premiums: individual vs small group, 2026 plan year.
| County | Individual /mo | Small group /mo | You save | Annual / employee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madison County | $652 | $813 | 19.8% | $1,932 |
| Monroe County | $652 | $813 | 19.8% | $1,932 |
| St. Clair County | $652 | $813 | 19.8% | $1,932 |
| Effingham County | $842 | $930 | 9.4% | $1,050 |
| Kankakee County | $557 | $560 | 0.6% | $39 |
| Will County | $557 | $560 | 0.6% | $39 |
| Cook County | $593 | $593 | 0.1% | $4 |
Illinois county savings pages
Every Illinois county where the 2026 benchmark gap tops $100/employee/month — each with its own local breakdown.
- Madison County 19.8%
- Monroe County 19.8%
- St. Clair County 19.8%
The Illinois picture
Illinois flips the usual big-state script: the opportunity sits downstate, not in Chicago. On 2026 silver-plan data just 7 counties qualify, led by Madison County in the Metro-East St. Louis area at an estimated $161 per employee per month — about 19.8% below comparable small-group coverage — while Chicagoland counties mostly show individual and small-group markets priced too close together to qualify. No Illinois county tops an estimated $200. For 2027, insurers have filed a proposed average individual-market increase of 14.1%, a data point for planning conversations but not part of these estimates.
An employer in Edwardsville or Granite City is working with different economics than one in Naperville: Madison County's estimated $161 monthly gap on 2026 data leads the state, and the handful of other qualifying counties cluster well below it. For Chicagoland firms, the estimated savings case is largely absent this plan year — though multi-state employers headquartered there sometimes adopt an ICHRA anyway to standardize benefits across locations where the gaps are wider. The Metro-East is where an Illinois-only savings analysis is most likely to pencil.
Illinois ICHRA FAQs
How much can employers save with an ICHRA in Illinois?
Across 7 qualifying Illinois counties, the 2026 gap between small-group and individual silver coverage averages 10% — up to $1,932 per employee per year in the strongest county. Figures are plan-year-2026 estimates (lowest-cost silver, age 50, same year both markets), not quotes.
Which Illinois county has the biggest ICHRA savings?
Madison County currently shows the widest 2026 spread in Illinois: individual $652/mo vs small group $813/mo — about 19.8% ($1,932/employee/year, estimated).
Does every Illinois county qualify for ICHRA savings?
No. Only counties where the individual market prices below small group make the list — 7 in Illinois for plan year 2026. In other counties a savings-driven ICHRA usually is not the right move, and an analysis will say so.
Where does this Illinois data come from?
Individual-market premiums come from the CMS Marketplace Public Use Files and small-group benchmarks from Ideon — lowest-cost silver plan, age 50, same county and same plan year (2026) on both sides.
My company is in the Chicago suburbs — is there any ICHRA savings case for us in Illinois?
On 2026 data, probably not a savings case: Chicagoland counties generally don't qualify because individual-market silver plans there price close to comparable small-group coverage. Illinois' estimated gaps concentrate downstate, with Madison County in the Metro-East leading at about $161 per employee per month. A Chicago-area employer might still consider an ICHRA for budget predictability, or because it has locations in higher-gap states — but a free county-level analysis is the honest way to confirm whether your specific footprint clears the threshold.
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