Published 2026-09-09 · Last updated 2026-09-09.
Who qualifies, in general
Medicaid is a joint federal-state programme that covers people with low incomes, and each state runs its own version within federal rules. That shared structure is why two people with the same income can get different answers in different states. The groups states commonly cover include children, pregnant women, parents and caretakers, seniors, and people with disabilities, and many states also cover most low-income adults under expansion.
Your category matters as much as your income. A child, a pregnant woman and a low-income adult without children may each face a different income standard in the same state. Start by identifying which group you fall into, then look up that group's rule for your state, rather than applying a neighbour's or a friend's result to your own household.
Income limits by state — why this page does not print a table of figures
Income is usually counted using Modified Adjusted Gross Income, or MAGI, for children, pregnant women, parents and most adults under 65. MAGI starts from adjusted gross income and adds back certain items, while leaving out others. Because states set their own limits as a percentage of the federal poverty level and update them over time, any printed table in a page like this would go stale and could mislead you.
That is why the checker on this page asks you to enter the limit published for your state and group, taken from medicaid.gov or your state agency, and then compares your income with it. The tool does not store a limit, and no limit figure is asserted anywhere on this page. If you cannot find your state's figure, apply through the official route anyway — the application itself makes the determination.
How to apply
You can usually apply through your state Medicaid agency or through the marketplace, which forwards your application when it looks like you may qualify. Have household details, income information and identification ready, and answer for everyone in your household even if only one person needs cover. An incomplete household answer is a common reason for delay, so take time over this step.
After you apply, watch for requests for documents and respond promptly. Keep copies of everything you send and note the date you applied. If your situation changes — income, household size, address or pregnancy — report it, because eligibility is not a one-time decision and a change can move you between Medicaid, CHIP and marketplace cover.
Checker tool — action section
The checker is the action section of this single merged page, and a standalone HTML version of the same checker sits alongside it as the tool, not as a second page. You choose your state and category, enter household size and income, and enter the published limit for your group from the official source. The tool then shows whether your income sits below, near or above that limit you entered, and what to do next in each case.
A 'near the limit' result deserves special care: small income changes, a different household size, or a different category can change the outcome. In that case, apply rather than self-denying. The checker is educational only and never replaces the state's determination, and it stores no personal data.
Medicaid and Medicare together — FAQ
Can you have both? Yes, in general: some people qualify for both Medicaid and Medicare, and Medicaid may help with Medicare costs such as premiums and cost-sharing through a Medicare Savings Programme. Which help applies depends on your income, category and state, so check both programmes rather than assuming one blocks the other.
If you are approaching Medicare age while on Medicaid, read the Medicare enrollment page next and tell both programmes about the change. Coverage transitions are where gaps happen, and a planned handover — new card, new plan rules, new cost-sharing — is far easier than fixing a gap after care has already been received.
ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE
ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE (not a policy fact): Jordan, a fictional single adult, looks up his state's published adult limit on the official agency site, enters that limit and his expected income into the checker, and sees his income sits below the limit he entered. He applies anyway, because the checker is only a screen, and keeps his application reference and document copies. If his income had sat above the limit, the same checker would have pointed him to the marketplace page instead of leaving him with no next step.