Thousands of Illinois Residents Told to Start Over on Health Insurance

Illinois officials are emailing and calling thousands of people, advising them to start over on their health insurance applications if they believe the federal government mistakenly referred them to Medicaid.

Federal officials received more than 30,000 applications from Illinoisans who may be eligible for Medicaid, the government health program for the poor.

But the federal HealthCare.gov website has been plagued by glitches, now mostly fixed. Illinois officials say anyone who believes they were referred to Medicaid by mistake should start again at the Get Covered Illinois online screening tool.

Officials advise if the screener sends them to HealthCare.gov, they should create a new account with a different email address and submit a new application. If the screener refers them to the state's Medicaid site, they can submit an application there.