Alabama Medicaid eligibility is limited to specific categories of low-income residents: children, pregnant women, parents or caretaker relatives of minor children, and people who are 65 or older, blind, or disabled. Because Alabama has not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, low-income adults who don’t fit one of those categories generally cannot qualify, no matter how little they earn. Meeting a category is only the first step; you also have to meet the income limit that applies to your group, and in some cases an asset limit as well.
Who Qualifies by Category
Before the Alabama Medicaid Agency looks at your income, you have to fit one of these groups:
- Children under 19. Kids qualify through standard Medicaid, or through the ALL Kids program run by the Alabama Department of Public Health if household income is above the Medicaid cap.
- Pregnant women. Coverage runs through pregnancy and for 12 months after delivery, following Alabama’s postpartum extension in October 2022.1Alabama Medicaid. Postpartum Coverage Extension from 60 Days to 12 Months
- Parents and caretaker relatives of minor children in the household. Income limits for this group are very low.
- Adults 65 and older who meet income and asset tests.2Alabama Medicaid. Medicaid for the Elderly and Disabled
- People with a qualifying permanent disability or blindness, at any age.
- Plan First participants. Women aged 19 through 55, and men 21 or older for vasectomy only, can receive family planning services if they meet the income rules. Plan First does not cover general medical care.3Alabama Medicaid. Medicaid Plan First (Family Planning Only)
Everyone applying has to be an Alabama resident and show U.S. citizenship or qualifying immigration status.4Alabama Medicaid Agency. Medicaid Eligibility Handout Form 208 People without immigration documentation who meet the other requirements may still get emergency Medicaid services.
Income Limits by Group
Most categories are measured using Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI), which is your household’s total earnings minus certain tax deductions.5Alabama Medicaid Agency. Medicaid Income Limits for 2025 Limits are adjusted annually, typically in February, and they vary sharply by group.
Children and Pregnant Women
Children and pregnant women share the same threshold, set at 146% of the Federal Poverty Level (which includes a built-in 5% disregard). The 2026 monthly limits are:
- Family of 1: $1,942
- Family of 2: $2,633
- Family of 3: $3,324
- Family of 4: $4,015
Children above the Medicaid cap may still get covered through ALL Kids, which has a low-fee tier and a standard-fee tier with monthly premiums. A family of four with monthly income between $4,016 and $4,290 would qualify for the low-fee tier, and income between $4,291 and $8,718 would fall into the standard-fee tier.6Alabama Department of Public Health. ALL Kids Monthly Income Guidelines Effective 2/1/2026
Parents and Caretaker Relatives
The parent and caretaker category is set at just 18% of the Federal Poverty Level, among the lowest limits in the country. Monthly caps:
- Family of 1: $235
- Family of 2: $318
- Family of 3: $400
- Family of 4: $483
A parent in a four-person household earning more than $483 a month — about $5,800 a year — is over the limit, even though that income is well below the federal poverty line.5Alabama Medicaid Agency. Medicaid Income Limits for 2025
Asset Limits for Elderly, Blind, or Disabled Applicants
If you qualify based on age, blindness, or disability rather than MAGI, you also face a resource test. Alabama caps countable resources at $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a couple.7Alabama Medicaid Agency. Home and Community Based Waivers 2026 Countable resources include bank accounts, cash, stocks, and similar financial assets. Your primary home is generally excluded, and one vehicle usually is as well.
For long-term care applications, Alabama follows the federal 60-month look-back period. Assets you gave away or sold for less than fair market value within five years before applying can trigger a penalty period during which Medicaid will not pay for long-term care.8Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Transfer of Assets in the Medicaid Program – Important Facts for State Policymakers
The Coverage Gap: Adults Without Children
Childless adults under 65 with no qualifying disability generally cannot get Alabama Medicaid at any income level. Marketplace subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, meanwhile, start at 100% of the Federal Poverty Level. Adults who earn less than that but don’t fit a Medicaid category fall into the coverage gap. Roughly 107,000 uninsured Alabama adults are estimated to be in that gap.
If this describes you, options are limited. Community health centers offer services on a sliding fee scale, hospitals must provide emergency treatment regardless of insurance, and Plan First can cover family planning services for women aged 19 through 55 who meet the income rules.
What Alabama Medicaid Covers
Covered services for adults include:
- Up to 14 doctor office visits per calendar year, plus up to 16 days of physician care during a hospital stay.
- Inpatient hospital stays when medically necessary, with no annual cap; outpatient lab work, X-rays, radiation, and chemotherapy also uncapped.
- Most prescription drugs, though some require prior approval and brand-name medications may be limited per month.
- One eye exam and pair of glasses every two years for adults 21 and older; annual exams for children.
- Mental health and substance use disorder treatment.
- Nursing home care, including room, board, and prescribed medications.
- Home health services when illness or disability keeps you from leaving home without help.
- Family planning services.
- Prenatal care, delivery, and postpartum care.
- Up to 156 outpatient kidney dialysis treatments per year.
Dental care is covered for children under 21 and for pregnant women. Alabama Medicaid does not cover dental services for other adults. Children under 21 get broader coverage overall through the federal Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment program, which requires the state to pay for any medically necessary service, including some, like hearing aids, that are not covered for adults.9Alabama Medicaid Agency. Covered Services Handbook
How to Apply
Pull together these documents for everyone in your household who needs coverage:
- Proof of citizenship and identity. A U.S. passport covers both. Otherwise, a certified birth certificate or naturalization certificate plus a driver’s license or state ID.10Alabama Medicaid Agency. Documentation for Citizenship and Identity
- Social Security numbers and dates of birth for each household member.
- Proof of Alabama residency, such as a utility bill, lease, or state-issued ID with your address.
- Income verification: recent pay stubs, your most recent federal tax return, or Social Security award letters.
You can apply three ways. The Expedite portal at expedite.medicaid.alabama.gov lets you submit the application online and upload documents.11Alabama Medicaid Agency. Home Page – Expedite Alabama Medicaid Application Portal You can also mail a completed paper application to the Alabama Medicaid Agency or deliver it in person to your county Medicaid office. The paper form for families, children, and pregnant women is on the agency’s forms library.12Alabama Medicaid. Forms for Medicaid Applicants and Recipients
Federal regulations give Alabama up to 45 calendar days to decide most applications, and up to 90 days for disability-based applications because a medical review is involved.13eCFR. 42 CFR 435.912 – Timely Determination and Redetermination of Eligibility You’ll get a written notice by mail with the decision. If you’re denied, that notice explains how to request a fair hearing; appeal deadlines are short, so act quickly.
Had medical bills in the months before you applied? Medicaid may pay for care going back up to three months before your application month, as long as you would have qualified then.14Medicaid.gov. Eligibility Policy
Keeping Coverage: Annual Renewals
Medicaid is reviewed at least once every 12 months. You’ll get a renewal form that has to be completed and returned by the deadline, or your coverage can be terminated.15Medicaid.gov. Medicaid and CHIP Renewals and Redeterminations If you lose coverage because you missed the paperwork rather than because you no longer qualify, you generally have 90 days after termination to submit the renewal and have eligibility reconsidered without starting over. Keep your mailing address current with the agency so you don’t miss notices.