2018 Guidelines for Medicaid and CHIP

2018 Guidelines for Medicaid and CHIP

We explain how to get covered under Medicaid and CHIP in 2018. Enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP is 365 days a year, so there is never a wrong time to see if you and your family qualify for assistance.

The Basics of Medicaid and CHIP

Each state has its own rules for qualifying for Medicare and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Contact your state Medicaid department to see if you and your family qualify for Medicaid or CHIP. You can enroll at any time during the year.

FACT: Being offered employer sponsored coverage doesn’t effect Medicaid or CHIP eligibility.

What are Medicaid and CHIP? Medicaid is free or low cost coverage that covers low-income Americans. CHIP is a part of Medicaid that covers children and families. Eligibility is generally based on income and family status, but some states have different rules.

How to enroll in Medicaid and CHIP: Contact HealthCare.Gov during open enrollment to enroll in Medicaid or CHIP. Outside of open enrollment contact your state’s Medicaid department.

Qualifying For Medicaid Under Medicaid Expansion and Current State Based Rules

Thanks to the Affordable Care Act (sometimes called ObamaCare) single adults who make under 138% of the poverty level in states that expanded Medicaid, families with young children, and children in all states may qualify for assistance via Medicaid or CHIP based on income. CHIP covers pregnant women as well as children in some states.

Other factors apply in states that didn’t expand Medicaid, so what assistance you and  your family qualify for can differ per state. An easy-to-use clickable map of coverage for all states can be found on Healthcare.gov’s State Medicaid & CHIP Profiles.

To see if you qualify for these programs, you can go through Healthcare.gov’s page and see if your income falls in the range to save. The site will have its 2018 information on November 1, 2017.

How to Contact Medicaid

Outside of using HealthCare.Gov during open enrollment, the best way to find out if you and your family qualify for Medicaid or CHIP is to contact your state Medicaid department.

Below is a list of state Medicaid departments from Medicaid.gov. See this link for the information for the federal and regional headquarters as well.

Contact Your State With Questions