Title: 6 Free or Low-Cost Health Insurance Options
Headings: How to Get Free or Low-Cost Health Insurance
How to Get Free or Low-Cost Health Insurance
Medicaid
Affordable Care Act Subsidy
Short-Term Health Insurance
Job-Based Health Plan
Spouse's Health Plan
Parent's Health Plan

Content: In many states, adults under the age of 65 will qualify for Medicaid if their household income is no more than 138% of the federal poverty level. 1 ﻿ Pregnant women and children can generally qualify for Medicaid with household incomes well above that level, 2 ﻿ but people age 65 and older generally need to have lower incomes as well as low asset levels in order to qualify for Medicaid. 3 ﻿
However, some states have stricter eligibility criteria for adults under the age of 65. In those states, you must meet low-income guidelines and also be a member of a medically vulnerable group (people who are pregnant, parents/caretakers of a minor child, elderly, disabled, and children). In other words, there are some states (14 as of early 2021, although it will only be 12 as of mid-2021 4 ﻿) where being low-income by itself will not make you eligible for Medicaid. Medicaid may be available to immigrants who have been legally residing in the United States for five years or more if they meet eligibility requirements. 5 ﻿
Medicaid isn’t usually available to undocumented immigrants, although there may be exceptions such as short-term limited Medicaid coverage in emergency situations, and emergency coverage for people who are pregnant. And again, Medicaid eligibility varies from state to state. California, for example, has chosen to extend Medicaid eligibility to undocumented children and young adults who otherwise meet the income criteria for eligibility. 6 ﻿
Medicaid is paid for by federal and state taxes, and administered at the state level (which is why coverage and eligibility rules vary from one state to another).