What were the 2019 federal poverty level income cutoffs for Medicaid eligibility by state?

1. What “2019 FPL cutoffs” typically mean for Medicaid eligibility

When people ask for 2019 Medicaid “cutoffs,” they usually mean the income limits states set as percentages of the 2019 Federal Poverty Level (FPL) for particular eligibility groups—children, pregnant women, parents/caretakers, and other non‑disabled adults. After the Affordable Care Act, financial eligibility for most MAGI‑based groups is stated as a percent of FPL (with a 5% FPL disregard applied by rule) rather than solely dollar amounts, and CMS and states report those limits as percentages ^{[2] [3]}.

2. Where to find authoritative 2019 state-by-state numbers

The best available national, state‑level compilation for 2019 policy is the KFF 50‑state survey “Medicaid and CHIP Eligibility, Enrollment, and Cost Sharing Policies as of January 2019,” which includes appendix tables listing state income eligibility limits by coverage group (children, pregnant women, parents, adults) and gives example dollar equivalents (e.g., 138% FPL = $29,435 for a family of three in 2019) ^[1]. KFF’s state tables are the primary source to use if you need precise percentages or converted dollar amounts for each state in 2019 ^[1].

3. Common 2019 reference points and examples

Two commonly cited reference points from 2019: ACA Medicaid expansion adults were eligible up to 138% FPL (the dollar example KFF used: $29,435 for a family of three or $17,236 for an individual in 2019), and median eligibility limits for children and pregnant women were substantially higher—KFF reports median child eligibility at 255% FPL ($54,392 for a family of three in 2019) and median pregnant‑woman eligibility at 200% FPL ($42,660 for a family of three in 2019) ^[1].

4. Why dollar amounts vary across reporting and why you’ll see percentages

Because the FPL depends on household size and is published as dollar amounts by HHS, many state pages or guides convert the state’s percent‑of‑FPL standard into dollars for each household size. A state might post a dollar limit for a parent of one child or for a family of three; other aggregators (e.g., WorldPopulationReview, policy guides) convert FPL percentages into 2019 dollar numbers like “family of three = $21,330” for contiguous states for certain citations, but these third‑party conversions should be cross‑checked with KFF or state Medicaid pages for accuracy ^{[4] [5] [6]}.

5. Variation across eligibility groups and states in 2019

States differed widely in 2019 by coverage group: many states set very high eligibility for children and pregnant women (often 200–300%+ FPL), while parent/caretaker limits were typically much lower, and non‑expansion states did not cover other low‑income adults unless they had dependent children or another categorical qualification. KFF’s state survey documents these differences and indicates which states had implemented ACA expansion by January 2019 ^[1].

6. Practical next steps — how to get the exact per‑state cutoffs

If you need the exact 2019 percentage or dollar cutoff for a specific state and eligibility group, consult KFF’s appendix tables in the January 2019 survey for state‑by‑state numbers, or the state Medicaid website for the state’s official 2019 chart (KFF compiled state responses into a standardized table) ^[1]. National overviews or more recent guides (WorldPopulationReview, state consumer guides) may reproduce these numbers but should be cross‑referenced with KFF or the state page ^{[4] [6]}.

Limitations and caveats: the sources in your search results include KFF’s comprehensive 2019 survey and several later or general guides, but a single pre‑compiled per‑state dollar table for every eligibility group in 2019 is best obtained directly from KFF’s appendix tables or the state Medicaid sites referenced by KFF; other aggregators may convert percentages to dollars differently ^{[1] [2]}. Available sources do not mention a single consolidated downloadable CSV in these results—use KFF appendix tables or state PDFs for authoritative state‑by‑state cutoffs ^[1].