Medicaid for Pregnancy: Income Limits, Costs, and Coverage After Birth

Here's the short version. If you are pregnant, Medicaid is often the easiest coverage to get. Every state must cover qualified pregnant women. The income limit for pregnancy is higher than the limit for most other adults, and there is no asset test. Pregnancy-related care has no copays. Coverage lasts at least 60 days after you give birth, and many states now keep it going for a full 12 months. Your newborn is enrolled automatically and stays covered for at least a year. You can apply any time of year.

Who qualifies for pregnancy Medicaid

Federal law makes "qualified pregnant women" a mandatory group. That means every state's Medicaid program has to cover them. States set the income line, and it varies a lot:

• The income limit is higher than for other adults. States report their limits as a percent of the federal poverty level (FPL). In the CMS table dated December 1, 2023, the lowest state limit for pregnant women was 133% of FPL. Most states set it near 200% or above. A few go much higher, like Iowa at 375%. The same table lists every state, so you can check yours.
• There is no asset test. Pregnancy Medicaid uses the MAGI income method. MAGI rules look at taxable income and tax-filing relationships. They do not allow an asset or resource test. Your savings, car, and home do not count.
• You must live in the state and be a U.S. citizen or a qualified non-citizen, such as a lawful permanent resident.

If you are a recent immigrant: Federal law used to require a 5-year wait before many lawful immigrants could get Medicaid. Since 2009, states have had the option to cover lawfully residing pregnant women without that wait. Many states have taken it; the list on Medicaid.gov was updated April 2, 2026. Separately, some states use a CHIP option to cover prenatal care "from conception to end of pregnancy" no matter the parent's immigration status. Ask your state agency which applies to you.

What it costs

States can charge small copays for many Medicaid services. But out-of-pocket costs cannot be charged for pregnancy-related services, and states may choose to exempt all services for pregnant women. Emergency services and family planning are exempt too. In practice, prenatal visits, delivery, and postpartum care should cost you nothing out of pocket.

When coverage starts

• You can apply any time. Medicaid and CHIP have no open enrollment season.
• Coverage starts on the application date or the first day of that month, once you are found eligible.
• It can reach back up to 3 months. Medicaid may pay for care you got in the 3 months before you applied, if you would have qualified then. If you already had prenatal visits before applying, tell the agency.
• Pregnancy that began before coverage still counts. Marketplace and Medicaid plans cover pregnancy and childbirth even if the pregnancy started before coverage did.

You can apply two ways: directly with your state Medicaid agency, or through a HealthCare.gov application by asking for help paying for coverage. Our Medicaid: Starting Out guide explains what happens after you apply.

How long it lasts after birth

If you qualify during pregnancy, you are covered for at least 60 days after you give birth. Some states offer coverage for a full 12 months after birth. The 12-month option came from the American Rescue Plan. It gives new parents time and access to care in the year after delivery, when more than half of pregnancy-related deaths occur. Medicaid.gov keeps a map of states with extended postpartum coverage.

When your state's postpartum period ends, you may no longer qualify. Your state will notify you if your coverage is ending. Losing Medicaid opens a Special Enrollment Period for a Marketplace plan. Our guide I Lost Medicaid. What Now? walks through that step. You may also still qualify under another Medicaid group, such as parents or expansion adults. Ask before you assume you are out.

Your baby's coverage

If you have Medicaid when you give birth, your newborn is enrolled in Medicaid automatically and stays eligible for at least a year. No separate application is needed. The same rule applies to babies born to mothers covered as pregnant women under CHIP. After the first year, the child is reviewed under the regular children's rules, which have their own higher income limits. See CHIP and Medicaid eligibility.

Children on Medicaid get the full EPSDT benefit, which includes checkups, shots, dental, vision, and hearing care.

If you have a Marketplace plan now

Being pregnant does not by itself open a Special Enrollment Period for the Marketplace. Having the baby does. If you already have a Marketplace plan and want to keep it, HealthCare.gov says you don't have to report your pregnancy. If you do report it and are found eligible for Medicaid or CHIP, your information goes to the state, and you won't be given the option to keep your Marketplace plan. Either way, update your application after the birth to add the baby. Our Marketplace guide covers the trade-offs.

CHIP for pregnant women

In some states, CHIP also covers prenatal, delivery, and postpartum care for uninsured pregnant women whose income is above the Medicaid line. To offer it, a state must already cover pregnant women in Medicaid up to at least 185% of FPL. Not every state has this option. Your state agency can tell you.

Common questions

Related pages

• Medicaid Eligibility, Waivers & Long-Term Care
• CHIP: Children's Health Insurance Program
• Medicaid: Starting Out
• I Lost Medicaid. What Do I Do Now?
• State Medicaid Directory
• HealthCare.gov: Health coverage if you're pregnant
• Medicaid.gov: Eligibility levels by state