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What are the income limits for Medicaid at 400% of the federal poverty level in different states?
Executive Summary
Medicaid income eligibility limits at 400% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) are not enumerated directly in the provided sources; the documents instead supply 2025 FPL figures and state-by-state eligibility percentages (commonly 138% for adults under expansion) that allow users to calculate 400% thresholds for any household size. The available analyses show that 400% FPL is a calculable dollar figure (for example, $62,600 for one person and $124,800 for a family of four using the 2025 FPL chart), but no source lists a standardized “Medicaid 400%” cutoff applied uniformly across states [1] [2] [3].
1. What the sources actually claim — the central findings you need to know
All provided analyses converge on a single factual pattern: the documents do not report any statewide Medicaid program that uses 400% of FPL as an explicit eligibility threshold, and instead present the Federal Poverty Level charts and state-specific percentage cutoffs for different groups. The 2025 FPL table cited in the materials yields concrete dollar equivalents for 400% of FPL — for a single adult roughly $62,600/year and for a family of four roughly $124,800/year — but these dollar figures are derived by multiplying the FPL by 4 and are not stated as Medicaid limits by the sources themselves [1] [2] [4]. The consistent theme across state charts is that most adult Medicaid eligibility thresholds are much lower (around 138% in expansion states), so 400% FPL falls well outside routine Medicaid eligibility ranges [3].
2. Why the sources emphasize percentages like 138% instead of 400% — the policy reality
The analyses underline that state Medicaid eligibility commonly uses percentages well below 400%, with 138% FPL the frequent expansion standard for adults; children’s programs (Medicaid and CHIP) can have higher upper-income limits in some states, with New York cited as reaching 405% for children in certain programs, which is a notable exception rather than a norm [2] [5]. This explains why none of the sources compile a “Medicaid at 400%” table: Medicaid’s statutory and waiver-driven structures set eligibility at modest multiples of FPL, while private-market subsidies and CHIP can reach higher-relative thresholds. The materials therefore present percentage-based eligibility maps and FPL charts, enabling calculations rather than supplying a direct 400% Medicaid roster [2] [5].
3. How to compute 400% FPL from the provided data — practical, provable math
The sources supply the 2025 federal poverty guidelines and state-level eligibility percentages that permit straightforward conversion into dollar thresholds. To compute 400% FPL, multiply the published 2025 FPL amount for the appropriate household size by four; the analysis explicitly shows examples such as $62,600 for a single person and $124,800 for a family of four based on the 2025 table referenced [1]. Because the documents show FPL figures for contiguous states, Alaska, and Hawaii separately, the 400% dollar value shifts by state when using state-specific FPL; sources encourage users to check the correct FPL row for household size and jurisdiction before computing the 400% figure [1] [6].
4. What the materials omit — where readers can be misled if they assume uniformity
None of the provided analyses offer a comprehensive list of states that explicitly adopt 400% FPL as a Medicaid cutoff, and the sources warn that eligibility varies by beneficiary group (adults, children, pregnant women, seniors and disabled) and by state policy decisions. The absence of a 400% Medicaid table is meaningful: Medicaid rules are heterogeneous and often capped far lower than 400%, and the only programs that commonly approach or exceed that level are CHIP or state subsidy programs — not standard Medicaid for adults [3] [5]. Readers should therefore avoid assuming that a computed 400% dollar value implies Medicaid entitlement; it may instead indicate eligibility for other programs or affordability benchmarks used in analyses [2] [4].
5. Clear takeaway for users and policymakers — actionable next steps
If you need to know whether a household at 400% FPL qualifies for public health coverage in a given state, the correct approach is to compute the 400% dollar figure from the 2025 FPL for the household size and then check state-level eligibility rules for each program and beneficiary category because Medicaid itself rarely uses 400% for adult eligibility. Use the FPL chart to calculate the dollar threshold, then cross-reference state Medicaid/CHIP income ceilings for the specific population — the provided state charts and eligibility summaries are designed for exactly this use [1] [2] [7]. For children, note that some states (e.g., New York) have higher upper-income limits in practice, which can exceed 400% for CHIP/Medicaid hybrids [5].
6. Caveats, competing viewpoints, and recommended verification steps
The analyses are consistent that 400% FPL is a useful arithmetic benchmark but not a standard Medicaid eligibility level, and they also reflect differing emphases: some sources focus on adult expansion thresholds, others on children’s program ceilings. Because state policies change and eligibility rules vary by subgroup, verify any computed 400% dollar figure against the state Medicaid agency or official CHIP guidance before drawing conclusions about coverage. The provided materials give the authoritative data you need to compute thresholds, but they stop short of asserting that those thresholds equate to Medicaid eligibility — this distinction is the critical factual gap readers must recognize [1] [3].