You must file an application to find out if you're eligible for Medicaid. You can file at your local DHS office or online. Starting in 2023, you can also receive information about your eligibility for Medicaid and other health insurance benefits through your Illinois income tax return.

It is better to apply online. Filing online is faster and you don’t have to go wait in line. If you file online you will receive a tracking number for your application. This number is proof that you applied. You can also use it to check on the status of your application.

There are professionals who can help you apply for Medicaid at your local medical center or hospital.

Medicaid coverage can be given for past medical bills, up to 3 full months before the date that you apply. However, you must have been eligible during that time. This is called medical backdating of eligibility. You should check off on the application that you have unpaid medical bills from the 3-month period before your application. This is so that you are considered for backdating as long as you met Illinois residency requirements during that time.

You can contact the Department of Human Services (DHS) to get an update on your application while you wait. You can call the DHS Customer Help Line at (800) 843-6154. Or, you can visit your local DHS office.

Medicaid eligibility is re-determined every year. Each year, an automated system will determine whether you are eligible for automatic renewal. If you are eligible, you will be sent a letter from the state informing you of your continued eligibility. You don’t have to respond if the information on the form is complete and accurate. If the information on the form isn’t complete and accurate, you have 30 days to report changes.

If you aren’t eligible for automatic renewal, you will be sent a different form by the state. You must respond within 30 days by mail, by fax, or online. If you do, your benefits will continue until a review of your form is completed. When the review is done, you will be sent a notice of the result.

If you don’t respond within 30 days, your benefits will end automatically. If this happens to you, there is a 90-day reinstatement period. If you return the form within 90 days of when your benefits ended and you are eligible, your coverage will be continued.

Learn more about medical redetermination.

Resuming Medicaid renewals after Covid-19

Starting in May 2023, Medicaid customers will be asked to renew their healthcare coverage. Because of the Covid-19 public health emergency, Medicaid renewals or redeterminations were paused and individuals with Medicaid kept their coverage. The federal government has ended the pause on annual eligibility verifications, and Illinois has started the redetermination or renewal process for Medicaid again.

To prepare for the renewal process, you can go to “Manage My Case” on the ABE site and: 

1. Verify your mailing address under "Contact Us."
2. Find your due date (the "redetermination" date) in your "Benefit Details." 

Watch for your renewal forms in the mail, and submit the renewal by the due date on the form. 

If you do not respond, your Medicaid coverage will automatically end. This means you will lose the benefits you’re getting through your health plan. If this happens to you, there is a 90-day reinstatement period. If you return the form within 90 days of when your benefits ended and you are eligible, your coverage will be continued. 

If you are no longer eligible for Medicaid, you can try to connect to coverage at work or through the official Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace for Illinois. If you disagree with the decision that you are no longer eligible for Medicaid, you can appeal.

If you need help with your renewal, you can call DHS at 1-800-843-6154.

Learn more about Medicaid renewal in Illinois and in other states.