Medicaid Income Limits by Category: Adults, Kids, Pregnant Women, Elderly
Watch on YouTube Medicaid does not have one income limit. It has dozens, depending on your age, pregnancy status, disability, and state. This episode maps every major category with real twenty-twenty-six dollar amounts: expansion adults at one hundred thirty-eight percent of the federal poverty level, children at two hundred to three hundred percent, pregnant women at one hundred eighty-five percent or higher, and the much stricter limits for elderly and disabled applicants. Watch the next video in the playlist to learn how the Children’s Health Insurance Program fills the gap above Medicaid for kids.
▶ Watch next: CHIP: Health Insurance for Kids Who Earn Too Much for Medicaid https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fu1bSL4rSoU
📺 Full playlist: Medicaid (US - 2026) https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlIAFxS29649JfKT2uWUj5JKZqmduWdyo
Chapters
- 0:00 Why There Is No Single Medicaid Income Limit
- 2:23 Expansion Adults: 138% FPL and What That Means in Dollars
- 4:02 Children and Pregnant Women: Higher Thresholds
- 5:38 Elderly and Disabled: Stricter Rules and Asset Tests
- 7:19 The Medically Needy Pathway: Spending Down to Qualify
- 8:59 How to Calculate Your MAGI for Medicaid
- 10:57 Quiz Time
Medicaid does not have one income limit. It has dozens — depending on your age, whether you are pregnant, whether you have a disability, and which state you live in. In expansion states, most adults qualify at 138% of the Federal Poverty Level (about twenty-two thousand twenty-five dollars a year for one person in 2026). Children qualify at higher thresholds — typically 200% to 300% FPL depending on state. Pregnant women qualify at 185% FPL or higher in most states. Elderly and disabled individuals on SSI qualify automatically in most states, but those applying separately face much lower income limits plus asset tests. This episode breaks down every major category with real 2026 dollar amounts.
Key Topics
- Expansion adults: 138% FPL (about twenty-two thousand twenty-five dollars for a single person in 2026)
- Non-expansion state adults: limits as low as 17-18% FPL in some states (below three thousand dollars a year)
- Children: mandatory up to 138% FPL, most states cover up to 200-300% FPL
- Pregnant women: mandatory at least 138% FPL, most states set 185-200% FPL or higher
- Elderly and disabled: SSI recipients automatically qualify in most states; others face income limits near 74-100% FPL
- The "medically needy" pathway: states that let people with high medical bills spend down excess income to qualify
- How to calculate your Modified Adjusted Gross Income for Medicaid (what counts, what does not)