Resources for enrollment assisters

To assist Illinois residents as a Navigator on the Get Covered Illinois Marketplace for 2027, individuals will be required to complete the Plan Year (PY) 2027 Get Covered Illinois certification training and final assessment. Only individuals connected with one of the Get Covered Illinois Navigator grantees or sub-granted organizations are eligible to complete navigator training.

The current lead Navigator organizations are:

• Federación de Clubes Michoacanos en Illinois, Casa Michoacan
• Illinois Primary Health Care Association
• Rincon Family Services
• Sinai Community Institute
• Springfield Urban League

Each organization must provide training to its employees or volunteers to:

• provide information about insurance affordability programs and qualified health plan coverage options,
• compare qualified health plans side by side and answer questions about health coverage and
• assist residents in applying for and enrolling in qualified health plans and applying for financial help.

Access to the training requires preregistration. Please reach out to your lead Navigator grantee organization through the Illinois Navigator Grant Program Plan Year 2027 grant to preregister.

A Get Covered Illinois certified application counselor  can be any employee or volunteer from a Certified Application Counselor Organization (also known as a Certified Application Counselor Designated Organization) that enters into an agreement with Get Covered Illinois. The agreement requires the organization to train its employees or volunteers to::

• Provide information about insurance affordability programs and qualified health plan coverage options.

• Compare qualified health plans side by side and answerquestions about health coverage.

• Assist residents in applying for and enrolling in qualified health plans and applying for financial help.insurance affordability programs. 

Certified application counselors must complete an annual certification training and assessment. Access to the training requires preregistration. Active CDOs will preregister their certified application counselors by returning their completed CDO roster to GCI.CDO@Illinois.gov.

Applications for organizations to apply for a CDO designation are open until October 22, 2026. Information on CDO requirements and link to the application is available on the Certified Application Counselor Designated Organization (CDO) page.

If you are a certified Get Covered Illinois Navigator or certified application counselor and you have an account, you can log in soon. 

If you are a Get Covered Illinois Navigator and you need an account, contact your Navigator Grant Manager. Your Navigator Grant Manager will create a new Navigator account for you.
 

Reference this quick guide for setting up your multifactor authenticator

• Plan Year 2026 Insurer Crosswalk Guide

As enabled under Public Act 103-0103, the State of Illinois has established a state-based marketplace beginning in 2026.  Under the law, the Illinois Department of Insurance will manage Get Covered Illinois. 

In accordance with federal regulation (45 C.F.R. §155.210), the marketplace must establish, fund, and operate a Navigator program to assist these efforts and to conduct certain duties. The program will award grants to eligible entities meeting specified standards for Navigators under federal and state law. The federal standards governing Navigator requirements, eligibility, conduct, and duties are set forth in 45 C.F.R. §155.215. Additional federal standards for Navigators - such as conflicts-of-interest, training, providing culturally and linguistically appropriate services and access by persons with disabilities - are set forth in 45 C.F.R. §155.215.