Medicaid does not move with you when you move to another state. Each state runs its own program with its own income limits, asset rules, and benefit design, so you have to end your coverage in the state you’re leaving and file a new application in the state you’re moving to. You cannot hold active Medicaid in two states at once, and your old state’s card will not work at providers once you’re no longer a resident there.
Close Out Your Coverage in the State You’re Leaving
Contact your current state’s Medicaid agency as soon as you have a move date. You can usually do this by phone, through the state’s online benefits portal, or by mailing a written notice. Give them the date you’ll be leaving so benefits end on the right day.
This step matters more than it sounds. If your old state keeps paying claims after you’ve left, you could face an overpayment demand or even a fraud investigation for receiving benefits in a state where you no longer live. Ask for written confirmation that your case has been closed. Some states require proof of disenrollment before they will open a new case, and even where it isn’t required, that letter helps prevent delays if the new state’s system flags overlapping coverage.
You Have to Reapply, and You May Not Qualify
Being on Medicaid in one state does not guarantee you will qualify in another. The biggest single factor is whether your new state has expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. Forty states plus the District of Columbia have adopted expansion, while ten have not.
In expansion states, most adults under 65 qualify if household income is at or below about 138% of the federal poverty level, which for a single person in 2026 works out to roughly $22,025 a year.1Federal Register. Annual Update of the HHS Poverty Guidelines Eligibility in those states is based almost entirely on income, with no asset test for most applicants.2Medicaid.gov. Eligibility Policy
The ten non-expansion states are very different. Income limits are far lower, and coverage is often restricted to specific groups like pregnant women, children, parents of dependent children, and people with disabilities. Childless adults in these states generally cannot get Medicaid at any income level.2Medicaid.gov. Eligibility Policy Some also apply asset tests, so savings, investments, or property could disqualify you even at a low income. If you’re moving from an expansion state to a non-expansion state, check the new state’s rules before you go and plan for alternatives.
If You Qualify Through Age or Disability
If your Medicaid is based on being 65 or older, blind, or having a disability rather than through expansion, your new state will use a different financial test. These “non-MAGI” categories typically involve both an income test and an asset or resource limit.2Medicaid.gov. Eligibility Policy Asset limits vary widely, and some states have changed theirs recently. Resources that were acceptable in your old state can push you over the line in the new one. Confirm current thresholds with the new state’s Medicaid agency before you move.
How to Apply in Your New State
Most states accept applications online, by mail, or in person at a local social services office. Online applications are usually processed fastest. You can also start through HealthCare.gov, which will route your information to the appropriate state agency if it looks like you qualify.3HealthCare.gov. Medicaid and CHIP Coverage
Federal regulations cap how long a state can take to decide. For most people, the state must make a determination within 45 calendar days. If your application involves a disability determination, the deadline extends to 90 days.4eCFR. 42 CFR 435.912 – Timely Determination and Redetermination of Eligibility You’ll receive a written notice approving or denying the application and stating when coverage begins.
Gather these before you apply so the state can verify eligibility without back-and-forth delays:
- Identity: a driver’s license, state-issued ID, or U.S. passport.
- Citizenship or immigration status: a birth certificate, naturalization certificate, or immigration documents.
- Residency in the new state: a signed lease, mortgage statement, or recent utility bill showing your new address.
- Income: recent pay stubs, your most recent federal tax return, or a Social Security award letter.
- Assets, if applicable: bank statements for checking and savings, typically only needed if you’re applying under an age- or disability-based category rather than expansion.
- Disenrollment proof: the confirmation letter from your old state showing that your previous coverage has been closed.
Keep the Gap in Coverage as Short as Possible
The biggest practical risk of an interstate move is a stretch of time with no active health coverage. A few strategies shrink that window.
Time Your Move to the End of a Month
Medicaid coverage typically runs through the end of a calendar month. If you can, schedule your move for the end of a month, close your old coverage effective that date, and apply in the new state on the first day you arrive.
Ask About Presumptive Eligibility
If you need medical care while your application is pending, ask about presumptive eligibility. Hospitals nationwide can make a preliminary determination and provide temporary Medicaid coverage on the spot while the formal application works through the system. Some states extend this authority to community health centers and other qualified organizations. It doesn’t last indefinitely, but it can bridge the weeks between applying and getting an approval notice.
Don’t Count on Retroactive Coverage
Federal law requires states to make Medicaid eligibility effective up to three months before the month you applied, as long as you would have qualified during that earlier period and received covered services.5eCFR. 42 CFR 435.915 – Effective Date In practice, that can mean reimbursement for a doctor visit or prescription you paid for out of pocket while waiting.
The catch: roughly a dozen states have federal waivers eliminating or shortening retroactive coverage for most adults. Some still preserve it for pregnant women, children, and people in long-term care, but the general adult population gets no lookback period. Confirm with the new state’s Medicaid agency before running up bills you expect to be reimbursed later.
Use the Marketplace If You No Longer Qualify
Moving to a new state is a qualifying life event that opens a Special Enrollment Period for marketplace health insurance, even outside the normal open enrollment window.6CMS. Understanding Special Enrollment Periods You generally have 60 days from your move date to enroll through HealthCare.gov or your new state’s marketplace website.7HealthCare.gov. How to Report a Move to the Marketplace
This matters most if you’re moving from an expansion state to a non-expansion state and discover you no longer qualify. If your income is above Medicaid limits but below 400% of the federal poverty level, you may qualify for premium tax credits that substantially reduce the cost of a plan. Applying through HealthCare.gov checks Medicaid and marketplace subsidy eligibility at the same time, so you don’t have to guess which program to pursue.
Special Situations
Moving While Pregnant or Postpartum
Nearly every state now offers 12 months of continuous postpartum Medicaid coverage under an option created by the American Rescue Plan Act. That coverage is supposed to continue “regardless of any changes in circumstances” during the postpartum year.8Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. SHO 21-007 – Improving Maternal Health and Extending Postpartum Coverage Moving out of state is one of the explicit exceptions. If you leave during your postpartum period, your old state can end coverage once you’re no longer a resident. Apply in the new state immediately after arriving, where pregnancy and postpartum status usually make you a priority category.
Moving Between Long-Term Care Facilities
Federal rules govern which state pays when you move from one state’s nursing facility to another. The key distinction is who arranged the placement. If a state agency placed you in a facility in another state, the state that arranged the placement remains your state of residence and keeps paying for your care.9eCFR. 42 CFR 435.403 – State Residence
If you or your family arranged the move independently, your state of residence becomes the state where the new facility is located and where you intend to live. The new state cannot deny your Medicaid application solely because you didn’t establish residency before entering the facility.9eCFR. 42 CFR 435.403 – State Residence The new state’s financial eligibility rules will still apply, including asset limits and income rules for institutional care, which can differ significantly. Work with a Medicaid planner or the new facility’s social worker before the move to avoid an eligibility gap.
Children’s Coverage
Children generally have broader eligibility than adults. Every state covers children up to at least 133% of the federal poverty level, and most states set the threshold higher.2Medicaid.gov. Eligibility Policy If your child was on Medicaid or CHIP in your old state, they will very likely qualify in the new one. States with 12-month continuous eligibility for children may still end that coverage when the child ceases to be a resident, so file a new application in the new state promptly.
After You’re Approved
Getting your approval letter isn’t quite the finish line. Most states deliver Medicaid through managed care organizations, and you’ll typically need to select a plan within a set window after approval. If you don’t choose one, the state will assign you to a plan automatically. Research the available plans in your area before your enrollment deadline so you can pick one whose provider network includes the doctors and specialists you want to see.
If you take prescription medications, verify they’re on the plan’s formulary. Drug coverage lists vary between plans and between states, and a medication covered in your old state isn’t guaranteed to be covered the same way in your new one.
Keep copies of everything: your old state’s disenrollment letter, your new application, the approval notice, and any managed care enrollment documents. If billing disputes or coverage questions come up months later, a paper trail makes them far easier to resolve.