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Medicaid & CHIP
Health coverage, at little or no cost
Medicaid covers more than 70 million people in the United States. There is no open enrolment window — you can apply any day of the year, and if you qualify, coverage can start right away.
- Email only — no SSN, no medical details
- Apply any day — no enrolment window
No enrolment windowUnlike Marketplace plans, Medicaid and CHIP accept applications all year round. If you qualify, there is nothing to wait for.
138%of the poverty line
The income ceiling for adults in states that expanded Medicaid. It is written as 133% in law, plus a 5% disregard.
HealthCare.gov
$45,540a year, family of four
What 138% of the 2026 poverty guidelines works out at for a household of four in the 48 states and DC.
Calculated from HHS 2026 guidelines
All yearno enrolment window
Medicaid and CHIP take applications every day of the year. There is no deadline to miss.
HealthCare.gov
255%median limit for children
The median state income limit for children through Medicaid and CHIP. Limits run from about 170% to 400% of the poverty line.
KFF
What Medicaid is
Two programs, one application
Medicaid is health coverage for people with low incomes. It is paid for jointly by the federal government and your state, and your state runs it — which is why the rules, and even the name, change when you cross a state line.
CHIP, the Children's Health Insurance Program, covers children in families who earn too much for Medicaid but cannot easily afford private cover. You do not have to work out which one you need: one application is checked against both.
The same coverage, different names
Many states brand their program, so you may never see the word Medicaid:
- CaliforniaMedi-Cal
- MassachusettsMassHealth
- TennesseeTennCare
- WashingtonApple Health
- OklahomaSoonerCare
If a name here is the one you know, that is your state's Medicaid. The official directory below links to every state's agency.
Income limits
Where the line sits for adults
In the states that expanded Medicaid, adults generally qualify under 138% of the federal poverty line. These are the 2026 figures for the 48 contiguous states and DC. Alaska and Hawaii use higher guidelines.
| People in household | 138% of poverty, a year | A month |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $22,025 | $1,835 |
| 2 | $29,863 | $2,489 |
| 3 | $37,702 | $3,142 |
| 4 | $45,540 | $3,795 |
| 5 | $53,378 | $4,448 |
| 6 | $61,217 | $5,101 |
Add about $7,838 a year for each additional person.
Not every state expanded
A minority of states did not take up the expansion. In those states adults without children often cannot get Medicaid at any income, and the limit for parents can be far below the poverty line. Your state's own page is the only reliable answer.
The income counted is not your gross pay
Medicaid uses MAGI — roughly your adjusted gross income with a few items added back. Some income does not count at all, so do not rule yourself out on the strength of a payslip.
Different rules for some people
People who are 65 or older, blind, or have a disability are usually assessed under separate rules that also look at assets, not the MAGI rules above.
Calculated from the HHS 2026 poverty guidelines · HealthCare.gov
Which one is for me
Medicaid, CHIP or a Marketplace plan
One application at HealthCare.gov or your state agency is checked against all three. This is roughly how they divide up.
Medicaid
Adults and families on a low income
Typical incomeUnder 138% of poverty in expansion states
CostFree or very low cost
When to applyAny day of the year
Who runs itYour state
CHIP
Children, and in some states pregnant women
Typical incomeAbove Medicaid, up to roughly 170%–400% of poverty
CostFree or low cost; some states charge a small premium
When to applyAny day of the year
Who runs itYour state
Marketplace plan
Everyone else buying their own cover
Typical incomeAbove the Medicaid and CHIP limits
CostMonthly premium, often reduced by a tax credit
When to applyOpen enrolment, or after a life event
Who runs itHealthCare.gov or your state marketplace
If your income turns out to be too high for Medicaid, the same application passes you to the Marketplace instead — you do not start again.
How to apply
Two routes, and both are free
Nothing on this page is an application. This is what the process looks like.
Apply through your state, or HealthCare.gov
Either works. Your state's Medicaid agency takes applications directly, and a HealthCare.gov application is passed to your state automatically if it looks like you qualify.
Give household and income details
Who lives with you, who you file taxes with, and what everyone earns. Have payslips or a recent tax return to hand. You will need Social Security numbers for anyone applying for coverage.
The state checks Medicaid, then CHIP
One application is assessed against both. Much of it is verified electronically, so you may not be asked for paperwork at all.
Coverage can be backdated
Many states can cover medical bills from up to three months before you applied, if you would have qualified then. Ask about retroactive coverage if you already have bills.
Get the steps
Want this as a checklist you can keep?
One email address, and we will send the same route in a form you can keep: where your state takes applications, what it asks for, and the free official links.
- Where your state takes Medicaid and CHIP applications
- The details the application asks for
- Free help lines that cost nothing to ring
Coming change
Work rules arrive for expansion adults
The 2025 federal budget law adds a work — or “community engagement” — requirement for adults covered through the Medicaid expansion. It is not in force everywhere yet, and it does not apply to everyone.
80 hours a month
Qualifying activity means work, certain work programmes, community service, or being enrolled at least half time in education. States verify it.
From 1 January 2027
States must apply it to the expansion group by that date. Some may start earlier. CMS issued its interim final rule on 1 June 2026.
It applies to the expansion group
Adults covered through the ACA expansion, and certain people in 1115 waiver programmes. Children, and people covered on other grounds, are not the target of this rule.
There are exemptions
The law and the rule set out exceptions, and states are still deciding how to apply them. If you think you should be exempt, ask your state directly and in writing.
This is changing while you read it. Nothing here is a determination about your coverage — check your own state's current position with its Medicaid agency.
CMS-2454-IFC · P.L. 119-21 · KFF tracking, 2026
Free official help
Start here — none of this costs anything
These are the real, free, public services. Nobody legitimate charges a fee to apply for Medicaid or CHIP.
HealthCare.gov — Medicaid & CHIP
Apply here and your application is passed to your state automatically if it looks like you qualify. Free, and open every day of the year.
Medicaid.gov — state agency directory
Every state's Medicaid agency, with its website and phone number, so you can apply where you live.
InsureKidsNow.gov
Coverage for children through Medicaid and CHIP, with a free help line in English and Spanish.
2-1-1
Free, confidential local referrals for health coverage, food, housing and utilities. Dial 2-1-1 anywhere in the United States.
Questions
Straight answers
Including the ones where the honest answer is “it depends which state you live in” or simply “no”.
No. Medicaid and CHIP accept applications every day of the year. The open enrolment window people talk about applies to Marketplace plans, not to Medicaid — so if you think you might qualify, there is nothing to wait for and no deadline to miss.
For most people it is free or close to it. Some states charge small premiums or copayments for certain groups, and those amounts are capped by federal rules. CHIP is free or low cost, and some states charge a modest premium for it.
In expansion states, adults generally qualify under 138% of the federal poverty line — about $22,025 a year for one person, $45,540 for four in 2026. Non-expansion states set far lower limits and often cover no childless adults. Children qualify at higher incomes through CHIP.
The same application then checks you against the Marketplace, where a tax credit may cut your monthly premium substantially. You do not need to apply twice. Children in your household may still qualify for CHIP even when the adults do not.
They may, if you are covered through the expansion. The 2025 budget law requires an 80-hour-a-month community engagement rule for that group by 1 January 2027. States are still deciding exemptions — ask your state Medicaid agency about your own position.
Sometimes. Many states offer retroactive coverage for medical costs from up to three months before you applied, if you would have qualified during that period. If you have unpaid bills, say so when you apply and ask about it directly.
It can. Many lawfully present immigrants qualify, sometimes after a waiting period, and rules differ for children and pregnant women. Emergency Medicaid is separate. Applying for an eligible child does not by itself affect a parent's status. Speak to legal aid rather than any website.
No. We are not a government agency, we are not affiliated with Medicaid, CMS, HealthCare.gov or any state agency, we do not take applications, and nothing here is a decision about your coverage. Your state agency decides.
Either at HealthCare.gov or directly with your state's Medicaid agency — both are free. Medicaid.gov publishes a directory of every state agency with its phone number. For children, InsureKidsNow.gov and 1-877-KIDS-NOW can help. You can also dial 2-1-1 for local assistance.
Next step
There is no deadline — but there is no reason to wait
It takes a few minutes and costs nothing. Get the checklist by email, or skip us entirely and apply at HealthCare.gov right now.