Medicaid · Step 3 of 3
Where to apply for Medicaid and what to check after you apply
Do I meet the Medicaid income limit?Free · no sign-up · next page
Applying in the wrong place wastes time
Each state runs its own Medicaid program, so only your state Medicaid agency can decide. The Health Insurance Marketplace can take your application and send it to the state. This site does not take applications.
Be careful with anyone who asks for money. Your state and the Marketplace will never threaten you. They will never ask for a credit card or a payment for you to keep or qualify for coverage. Do not give personal details or money to someone who says you must pay them to apply or to keep Medicaid. Going straight to the state or the Marketplace keeps your data with the people who need it.
Two ways to reach the right office
Why go straight to your state? Your state Medicaid agency is the only place that decides. It is also where you check on an application, replace a lost card, find a doctor or check on a renewal.
How can you reach it? You can apply to the state online, by phone, by mail or in person. You can also send one application through the Marketplace, online or by phone.
Where do you find your state agency? The Medicaid.gov page called Where Can People Get Help With Medicaid and CHIP lists each state agency. The Marketplace Call Center is 1-800-318-2596, and the TTY line is 1-855-889-4325.
How to reach the right office
Pick the way that fits your day. Each one leads to the same decision by your state.
- Your state agency. Pick your state on the Medicaid.gov help page to get its website and phone number. Every state must take applications online, by phone, by mail and in person.
- The Marketplace online. Create an account on HealthCare.gov and fill out the application. If someone in your home looks like a match, the Marketplace sends the details to your state.
- The Marketplace by phone. Call 1-800-318-2596. The line is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except holidays. If you are deaf or hard of hearing, call the TTY line at 1-855-889-4325.
- Free local help. Trained helpers, sometimes called navigators or assisters, can help you apply for Medicaid, CHIP or a Marketplace plan. Their help is free, and they never ask for a credit card number.
For children, the same application also checks for CHIP. CHIP covers children in families that earn too much for Medicaid, and in some states it also covers pregnant women.
What to check while you wait
While you wait, keep your phone on and open every letter from the state. A letter may ask you to send a paper by a certain date. If you move, give the state your new address. Keep a list of the dates you called and the names of the people you spoke with.
After you apply, a few questions come up most often. Each one has its own page on this site, written in plain words.
- Do I meet the income limit? See the groups Medicaid covers, the states that cover adults on income alone and the income limits by family size.
- Will the new work rule apply to me? Learn which adults must show work, school or volunteer hours, who is exempt and when it starts.
- How do I keep my coverage? Learn how renewal works, how often it happens and what to do if your coverage ends.
- Medicaid.gov, Where Can People Get Help With Medicaid & CHIP? — You must contact your state Medicaid agency to apply, check an application, get a card, find a provider or check a renewal
- HealthCare.gov, Medicaid & CHIP coverage — Who Medicaid covers, the immigration status change, help with bills from the last 3 months, apply any time of year, two ways to apply
- HealthCare.gov, Contact us — Marketplace Call Center 1-800-318-2596 (TTY 1-855-889-4325), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except holidays
- HealthCare.gov, Get Marketplace coverage if you lose or are denied Medicaid or CHIP coverage — The state sends your contact information to the Marketplace, free assisters, scam warning, lost in the past 90 days or losing in the next 60 days
- HealthCare.gov, The Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) — Who CHIP is for, apply any time, coverage can start right away, 1-800-318-2596 (TTY 1-855-889-4325), what CHIP covers
- eCFR, 42 CFR 435.907, Application — Applications by internet, phone, mail, in person or other electronic means, and who may apply for you
- Medicaid.gov, Renew Your Medicaid or CHIP Coverage — Update your contact information, check your mail, return the renewal form, Marketplace line 1-800-318-2596, scam warning