Benefits for Young People
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Medicaid and All Kids Eligibility
Medicaid helps people with low to moderate income pay for their visits to the doctor, hospital stays, prescription drugs, medical equipment, and other medical services. All Kids offers health coverage to children in families with higher income.
Medicaid and All Kids rules depend on whether you are:
- 18 or younger, or
- 19 or older.
Note: This page does not cover all the ways you might qualify for Medicaid or All Kids. The best way to check if you qualify is to apply.
You can apply for Medicaid, All Kids, SNAP, TANF, and other Illinois programs:
- Online using the Illinois Application for Benefits Eligibility (ABE)
- By calling the ABE Customer Call Center at 1-800-843-6154
- By downloading a paper application (also available in Spanish), filling it out, and then returning it by mail or fax to your DHS Family Community Resource Center, or
- At your local DHS Family Community Resource Center.
The ABE website answers frequently asked questions, including explaining what information you'll need to fill out an application.
Medicaid and All Kids if You Are 18 or Younger
If you are 18 or under:
- You may qualify for Medicaid or All Kids if your family has low income, regardless of whether you have a disability. This is how most people 18 or under qualify.
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You may qualify for Medicaid if you have a disability and...
- Your family has low income and low resources, or...
- You get Medicaid through Health Benefits for Workers with Disabilities (HBWD). For HBWD, you must also work, and be 16 or older. Learn more about HBWD.
- People who get SSI benefits qualify for Medicaid, but need to apply for Medicaid separately.
Note: The health benefits you get are the same, no matter how you qualify.
1. Medicaid and All Kids
When you apply for benefits, they first check to see if you qualify for health coverage based on your household's Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI). This is how most people 18 and under qualify for public health coverage.
If your family's income is 138% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPG) or less ($43,056 per year or less for a family of four), your family may qualify for Medicaid. It doesn't matter how much your family has in resources or if you have a disability.
If you are 18 or younger and your family’s income is too high for Medicaid, but is 318% of FPG or less ($99,216 per year or less for a family of four), you may qualify for All Kids. All Kids is the name of the national Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in Illinois.
For All Kids, it doesn't matter how much your family has in resources or what citizenship or immigration status you have.
Check if your family's income is low enough for you to get Medicaid or All Kids coverage this way:
Your family size: | |
Income limits for your family: | |
$15,060 | |
$5,380 | |
$14,580 | |
$5,140 | |
Medicaid (138% FPG) | |
All Kids (318% FPG) | |
Subsidized private plans, reduced fees (250% FPG) | |
Subsidized private plans (no income limit) | -- |
If your family's income is at or below the limit for a program, you may qualify if you meet other program rules.
Notes:
|
2. Disability-based Medicaid
If you don't qualify for Medicaid or All Kids based just on your income, you may still qualify for Aid to the Aged, Blind, or Disabled (AABD) Medicaid.
People who get SSI benefits qualify for Medicaid, but need to apply for Medicaid separately. If you don't get SSI, to qualify for AABD Medicaid, you must:
- Have a disability that meets Social Security Administration (SSA) standards for children.
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Have less than $17,500 in resources.
- Money that you have in ABLE Accounts is not counted.
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Have countable income that is $1,255 per month or less.
- Countable income includes your unearned income, most of your earned income, and a portion of your parents' income, which is deemed to you.
- Money you spend on some things, like work expenses, day care costs, transportation, and more may be deducted.
If you have a disability, are 16 or older, work, and have higher income or resources, you may qualify for Health Benefits for Workers with Disabilities (HBWD) instead.
If you get SSI, but then stop getting SSI benefits because your earned income goes up, a rule called 1619(b) lets you keep your Medicaid coverage. If you have SSI 1619(a) or 1619(b) status, you can make up to $38,906 per year without losing your Medicaid coverage.
1619(b) means that you can get Medicaid while earning way more than the program’s normal income limit, but your resources have to stay below SSI’s $2,000 resource limit. If your resources go over that limit, look into Health Benefits for Workers with Disabilities (HBWD), which has a much higher limit. Learn more about HBWD.
Medicaid if You Are 19 or Older
If you are 19 or older, you may qualify for Medicaid if:
- You have low income, regardless of whether you have a disability, or
- You have a disability, low resources, and low income. Note: People who get SSI benefits qualify for Medicaid, but need to apply for Medicaid separately.
If you have a disability, work, and have higher income or resources, you may qualify for Health Benefits for Workers with Disabilities (HBWD) instead. The health benefits you get are the same, no matter how you qualify.
Note: For all Illinois health programs, you must also meet all other Medicaid program rules for adults 19-41 years old, such as being a citizen or meeting noncitizen requirements.
1. Medicaid
If you are 19 or older and your household's Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) is 138% of FPG or less ($20,783 per year or less if you are single), you may qualify for Medicaid. It doesn't matter how much your family has in resources or if you have a disability.
If you are pregnant, you can get Medicaid coverage if your income is 213% FPG or less ($43,537 per year or less if you are single and pregnant with your first child; the baby counts as a family member for this program).
Check whether your income is low enough for you to get Medicaid coverage this way:
Your family size: | |
Income limits for your family: | |
$15,060 | |
$5,380 | |
$14,580 | |
$5,140 | |
Medicaid (138% FPG) | |
All Kids (318% FPG) | |
Subsidized private plans, reduced fees (250% FPG) | |
Subsidized private plans (no income limit) | -- |
If your family's income is at or below the limit for a program, you may qualify if you meet other program rules.
Notes:
|
Learn more about Medicaid in DB101's How Health Benefits Work article.
2. Disability-Based Medicaid and HBWD
If you don't qualify for Medicaid based just on your income, Medicaid checks to see if you qualify for Aid to the Aged, Blind, or Disabled (AABD) Medicaid or Health Benefits for Workers with Disabilities (HBWD).
People who get SSI benefits qualify for Medicaid, but need to apply for Medicaid separately. If you have a disability and don't get SSI benefits, you may still qualify for AABD Medicaid if you:
- Have a disability that meets Social Security’s adult definition of disability.
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Have less than $17,500 in countable resources.
- Money that you have in ABLE Accounts is not counted.
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Have countable income at or below 100% of FPG ($1,255 per month if you live alone; $1,704 for couples).
- Important: Countable income for AABD Medicaid is not the same as countable income for SSI. To calculate your countable income for AABD Medicaid, money you spend on some things, like work expenses, day care costs, transportation, and more may be deducted.
If you have a disability, your resources or income are higher than SSI's limits, and you have paid work, you may instead qualify for HBWD. HBWD:
- Has a $25,000 resource limit and doesn't count money in retirement accounts as resources, and
- Has a much higher income limit; you could earn as much as $4,468 per month ($53,610 per year) and still qualify!
If you don’t qualify for Medicaid or HBWD, Get Covered Illinois/HealthCare.gov may offer other health coverage options. Learn more about private health insurance.
Learn more
What Benefits Do I Get?
How to see which Social Security and state benefits you get.
ABLE Accounts
ABLE accounts help people with disabilities save money without losing benefits.
Programs That Support Work
Learn about programs that can help you prepare for and find work.
Get Expert Help
SSI and SSDI
How Work Affects SSI and SSDI
- Contact a Work Incentives Planning and Assistance Program
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Call the DHS Benefits Planning Program
1-217-588-6326 -
Call the Ticket to Work Help Line
1-866-968-7842
Medicaid
- Contact your DHS Family Community Resource Center
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Call the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) Help Line
1-800-843-6154 -
Call a Health Benefits for Workers with Disabilities (HBWD) expert
1-800-226-0768
Medicare
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Call Medicare
1-800-633-4227 -
Call the Senior Health Insurance Program (SHIP)
1-800-252-8966
Work Preparation
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Contact your local Rehabilitation Services office
1-877-581-3690 -
Contact the Bureau of Blind Services (BBS)
1-217-785-3887 - Contact your local Illinois workNet Center
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