Chicago and Metro Area
Prior to the ACA, about 30% of Illinois’ uninsured lived in Chicago, the majority of them Black or Latino. The city also has the largest concentrations of immigrant populations, with more than 100 languages spoken, and is home to the great preponderance of the state’s undocumented residents. Prior to 2014, 840,000 working age adults in the eight-county Chicago metro area lacked health insurance.
Chicago Uninsured and the ACA
The vast majority of the newly enrolled gained coverage through the Medicaid expansion. ACA marketplace enrollment rates varied widely, and most Illinois areas with the lowest rates are in or near the city. Using developed by the Kaiser Family Foundation from federal sources, we mapped Public Use Metropolitan Areas where more than 10,000 people eligible for the ACA Marketplace still remain uninsured.
- Chicago Marketplace enrollments • Map
- Chicago Marketplace outreach • Map
- Chicago public hospitals, with surrounding uninsured levels • Map
- Chicago public hospitals and clinics, with surrounding uninsured • Map
- PUMA 3504: North Chicago • Map
- PUMAs 3521 & 3408: West Chicago and portions of Cook County • Map
- PUMAs 3526-27: Southwest Chicago • Map
Metro area
Prior to 2014, 840,000 working age adults in the eight-county Chicago metro area lacked health insurance, despite the fact that the majority of them were working full time. Census Public Use Metropolitan Areas had rates of uninsurance ranging 5% to 28%, and a tenfold difference in the number of uninsured residents. About 545,000 working-age adults fell into the target population for ACA plans.- Metro zip codes with 50+ enrollments in 2016 • Map
- Metro Marketplace enrollments • Map
- Metro Marketplace outreach • Map
- Metro uninsured • Map • Charts
- Metro Marketplace population • Map • Charts
- Metro Medicaid population • Map • Charts
- Metro undocumented • Map • Charts
- PUMA 3602: Southeast McHenry County • Map
Lake County
Lake County, in the northeastern corner of Illinois, on the shore of Lake Michigan, is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. Although it is the 31st richest county in the nation by per capita income – with affluent communities Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, and Highland Park – about 13% of its residents were without health insurance in 2014. These data presentations were done as part of the Enroll Lake County! Initiative.Other issues
- The Role of Public Health in Chicago’s Mental Health System • Summary • Full report
More Resources
- Map: Chicago Uninsured Population and Enrollment Assisters – from Enroll America
- Lessons from Open Enrollment from Enroll America
- Marketplace enrollment reports – from HHS
- Chicago Health Atlas – from the Smart Chicago Collabrative
- ENROLL CHICAGO! A profile of the city’s uninsured residents