Title: Medicaid Basics: Eligibility and Coverage | Nolo
Headings: Medicaid Basics: Eligibility and Coverage
Medicaid Basics: Eligibility and Coverage
Answers to frequently asked questions about Medicaid eligibility, coverage, and denials.
Who Can Get Medicaid?
Do I Have to Be a Citizen to Get Medicaid?
What Services Does Medicaid Pay For?
How Are Medicaid Services Provided?
How to Apply for Medicaid
If Your Application for Medicaid Is Denied

Content: Children are automatically covered for one year after they are born to mothers on Medicaid. Many states provide coverage to pregnant women with higher income and assets than is normally allowed for Medicaid eligibility. Women with breast or cervical cancer can obtain treatment through a special Medicaid program for those diseases. Many states offer this coverage to women at higher income levels. Children in households with incomes too high to qualify for Medicaid but not high enough to afford private insurance may be covered by their state's Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Each state has its own rules about who can qualify for CHIP, with most states' eligibility guidelines falling between 200% and 400% of the federal poverty level. That's between about $53,000 and $105,000 for a family of four. Most states offer Medicaid to low-income adults with children, although there is not a uniform income standard for that coverage. In addition, some states expanded their Medicaid programs under the federal Affordable Care Act. In states that opted into the Medicaid expansion, adults under 65 years old who have incomes at or below 133% of the poverty level (about $17,125 for an individual) can be eligible for Medicaid, even if they do not have children and are not disabled.