How to Apply for Medicaid While Pregnant

Medicaid is a state or local government-administered federal program designed to offer medical coverage to low-income children, families and pregnant women. Having Medicaid coverage while pregnant allows a woman to receive prenatal care, covers the labor and delivery and covers the mother through six weeks of postpartum care. If the mother is on Medicaid while pregnant, the baby is automatically eligible for coverage until the first birthday. Applying for Medicaid coverage while pregnant is a simple process once you have all the required documents.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Proof of pregnancy, usually a doctor's statement including due date. (If you are visibly pregnant, most states will accept that as documentation.)
• Verification of gross income (pay stubs, statement from your employer, profit and loss statement for self-employed individuals.)
• Verification of residency in the state.
• Verification of citizenship. Must be original documents or certified copies (birth certificate, state issued, hospital records of birth are not acceptable, record of birth abroad of a U.S. citizen, U.S. passport or naturalization papers.
• Verification of identity. Must be original documents or certified copies (driver's license, state identification, school identification, U.S. passport, naturalization papers.)

1. Obtain a Medicaid application. In most states, you can obtain an application online or at a Medicaid office. In some states you can obtain an application at a hospital as well.

2. Fill out the application completely. Be sure that all family members older the age 18 sign the application. If there is a parent applying with a child who is older than 18 years, the child must apply separately.

3. Turn in the application with the necessary documentation. Federal guidelines give states 45 days from the date the application is received to process the application.

4. Keep all appointments your Medicaid office makes with you. Missing an appointment can only delay authorization of your Medicaid benefits.

Tips & Warnings

• Provide as much documentation as possible at the time of application. Some noncitizens are eligible for Medicaid. Check with your local Medicaid office to see if this applies to you.
• Most states do not require a face-to-face application. However, original citizenship and identity documents are required. Do NOT send these documents through the mail. Contact your local Medicaid office to see how they want to handle the documents. Be sure your income verification is for gross income and not net income.

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