Where can I find official 2026 state-by-state Medicaid and CHIP income limit tables?
Executive summary
If you want official, state-by-state 2026 Medicaid and CHIP income limit tables, the authoritative places are each state’s Medicaid/CHIP agency webpages (examples: Mississippi’s published limits) and federal CMS/Medicaid.gov resources that explain eligibility methodology and CHIP rules (for example, Medicaid.gov on CHIP eligibility) [1] [2]. National aggregators like Ballotpedia or state summaries (e.g., North Carolina’s eligibility page) collect tables but are secondary; always cross-check with the state agency or CMS for final numbers [3] [4].
1. Where to go first: state Medicaid/CHIP websites — the canonical source
Every state maintains its own official income-limit postings for Medicaid and CHIP; Mississippi’s Division of Medicaid publishes state-specific MAGI-based income tables on its site as an example of what each state posts for applicants [1]. If you need a table for one state, start with that state’s Medicaid or health department eligibility pages [1].
2. Federal guidance and rules you must understand before reading state tables
Federal rules set the framework states follow: income eligibility for Medicaid and CHIP is determined using Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI), and CHIP eligibility must be at least the greater of 200% of the federal poverty level (FPL) or 50 percentage points above the Medicaid applicable income level in 1997, per CMS/Medicaid guidance [2] [5]. These federal anchors explain why state tables use FPL percentages and why CHIP limits often exceed Medicaid’s.
3. Useful federal portals — when you need national context or methodology
Medicaid.gov and related CMS technical materials explain eligibility policy, MAGI rules, and program interaction with the Marketplace; they don’t publish every state’s numeric table in a single PDF for 2026 in the provided results, but they define the legal floor and calculation method to interpret state tables [5] [6].
4. Aggregators and summaries — fast but verify with the state
Sites like Ballotpedia provide compiled tables showing Medicaid and CHIP income limits by state and age group, which are convenient for cross-state comparison, but they are secondary and should be double-checked against the originating state agency or CMS [4]. Other third-party sites (e.g., private guides or advocacy pages) may also publish 2025–2026 guides; treat those as pointers rather than definitive sources [7] [8].
5. Practical steps to obtain the official 2026 tables quickly
- For each state, open that state’s official Medicaid or health department website and look for “income limits,” “eligibility,” or “MAGI” pages (example: Mississippi’s income-limits page) [1].
- Use CMS/Medicaid.gov pages to confirm the eligibility methodology (MAGI, CHIP floor) if a state’s presentation isn’t clear [5] [2].
- For a convenience check across states, consult Ballotpedia or other compilations, but then click through to the state source to confirm exact 2026 figures [4].
6. What the available reporting does not show (limitations)
The provided sources do not include a consolidated, explicit “2026 national table” with every state’s numeric 2026 income limits in one document; available reporting shows state pages and federal rules but not a single official nationwide 2026 table in these search results [1] [5] [4]. Also, the sample state pages included have varied publication timestamps; verify that any state table you use is labeled for 2026 or a clear effective date [1] [3].
7. Why numbers vary across states and programs — quick context
States set program design within federal constraints; Medicaid expansion status affects adult eligibility (the Healthcare.gov explanation on expansion shows the federal 133%/138% anchor for expansion states) and CHIP rules impose a minimum upper bound, leading to variability across states and age groups [9] [2]. For long‑term care or institutional Medicaid, some states use different income standards tied to other federal measures like the Federal Benefit Rate (FBR), so you may see different methodologies for those programs (not fully detailed in these sources) [10].
8. Bottom line and verification checklist
To get “official 2026 state-by-state Medicaid and CHIP income limit tables,” collect each state’s official Medicaid/health agency page (start with a state’s “income limits” or “eligibility” page such as Mississippi’s) and use CMS/Medicaid.gov for federal rules and context; use secondary compilations like Ballotpedia only for initial comparison and always cite the state source for the definitive number [1] [5] [4]. Available sources do not mention a single, consolidated official national table for 2026 — you must assemble numbers from state pages and confirm with CMS guidance [1] [5].