Alabama Medicaid 2026: Who Qualifies and How to Apply

Alabama Medicaid isn't a grant, and no one can charge you to apply.

Alabama Medicaid at a Glance (November 2026)

Alabama Medicaid covers 5 main groups, and because the state didn't expand, the group you fit matters more than your income. This is the short version, as of November 13, 2026:

Grantsights analysis of the ALL Kids income chart shows how wide Alabama's split is: for a family of three, a child is covered up to $7,218 a month through ALL Kids, while the parent loses Medicaid at $410, a gap of $6,808 a month inside the same household.

Who Qualifies for Alabama Medicaid

Alabama sorts applicants into 5 groups, and each one has its own test. Here's what the state's current handouts and ADPH pages show:

Children under 19. Per the ADPH ALL Kids income chart effective February 1, 2026, Medicaid (SOBRA and Medicaid for Low Income Families) covers children up to $3,324 a month for a family of three. Above that, ALL Kids covers children with no other insurance up to $7,218 for three and $8,718 for four. ADPH says a family whose income is a little outside these lines may still qualify, so apply anyway.

Pregnant women. SOBRA Medicaid covers pregnancy at the same line as young children. According to the Medicaid.gov record for plan amendment AL-22-0007, Alabama's 12-month continuous postpartum coverage was approved January 13, 2023, effective October 1, 2022.

Parents and caretaker relatives. Per the Alabama Medicaid Form 208 handout effective February 1, 2026, close relatives raising a child under 19 in the home qualify only up to $410 a month for a family of three. A parent working 20 hours a week at the federal minimum wage earns about $628 a month, over that line.

Seniors, blind and disabled people. Alabamians on SSI get Medicaid. Others 65 and older or with a disability may qualify for nursing home care, home and community-based waivers or Medicare Savings Programs, which use SSI-based income limits and a resource test. The full chart is in our Alabama income limits guide.

Family planning. Plan First covers family planning services for women 19 to 55 and men 21 and older who don't qualify for full Medicaid, according to Alabama Medicaid's covered services handbook.

Adults without children. Unless they're pregnant, disabled or 65 and older, Alabama adults without a child at home generally can't get full Medicaid at any income. That's the coverage gap. Your best bet if you're in it is the HealthCare.gov marketplace, community health centers or Plan First.

What Alabama Medicaid Covers and What It Costs

Alabama Medicaid pays for doctor visits, hospital care, prescriptions, lab and X-ray, maternity care, mental health services and long-term care for people who qualify. Alabama has 4 rules adults should know, from Alabama Medicaid's covered services handbook (October 2024) and copay handout (September 2024):

• Doctor visits: adults get 14 office visits a calendar year (cancer patients can get more).
• Eye care: adults 21 and older get one complete eye exam and one pair of glasses every two calendar years.
• Dental: the handbook lists dental care for pregnant women 21 and older through 60 days after the pregnancy ends; routine dental for other adults isn't listed. Children get dental through Medicaid and ALL Kids.
• Copays: $1.30 to $3.90 a doctor visit depending on the service, 65 cents to $3.90 a prescription, $3.90 for an outpatient hospital, rural health clinic or surgery center visit, and $50 for each hospital admission.

Who pays no copay: children 18 and under, pregnancy-related services, nursing home residents and American Indians with an IHS letter. Birth control and chemotherapy are also copay-free. Alabama Medicaid's handout says a provider can't charge more than the copay and can't deny you care because you can't pay it.

ALL Kids costs: According to the ALL Kids program premium page, ADPH charges an annual premium of $52 per child in the Low Fee group (capped at $156 a family) and $104 per child in the Fee group (capped at $312 a family), as of October 5, 2026. Children in the No Fee group pay no premiums or copays. ALL Kids copays for health and dental are in ADPH's 2026 copay sheets.

Care coordination: the Alabama Coordinated Health Network

Alabama doesn't use private Medicaid HMOs for most members. Instead, the Alabama Coordinated Health Network (ACHN) links most recipients, including children, pregnant women and parents, to a primary care doctor and care coordinators in 7 regions: Central, East, Jefferson and Shelby, Northeast, Northwest, Southeast and Southwest. You don't choose a plan; your region follows your county. People with both Medicare and Medicaid and nursing home residents aren't in ACHN.

How to Apply for Alabama Medicaid in 4 Ways

Alabama splits applications by group, which trips up many families. According to ADPH's ALL Kids pages and Alabama Medicaid's applicant contacts and FAQ pages:

1. Children, pregnant women and parents: online at Insure Alabama (opens in a new tab) (insurealabama.adph.state.al.us). One application covers ALL Kids, SOBRA Medicaid and Medicaid for Low Income Families. If no one qualifies, ADPH forwards it to the HealthCare.gov marketplace.
2. Seniors and people with disabilities: the Expedite portal (expedite.medicaid.alabama.gov) for nursing home, waiver and Medicare Savings applications. You'll need to register first. Or apply through one of Alabama Medicaid's 11 district offices.
3. In person with an outstationed worker at most county health departments, federally qualified health centers and some hospitals. Call 1-800-362-1504 to find one.
4. On paper. Mail an ALL Kids application to ALL Kids, P.O. Box 304839, Montgomery, AL 36130-4839 (fax 334-206-3783), or send a Medicaid application to the Alabama Medicaid Agency, P.O. Box 5624, Montgomery, AL 36103-5624. Sign it (Step 5 on the ALL Kids form) before you seal it.

Phone help: the Alabama Medicaid Recipient Call Center is 1-800-362-1504, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ALL Kids customer service is 1-888-373-5437 (1-888-373-KIDS).

Documents to have ready

• Proof of income for everyone in the household (recent pay stubs, self-employment records, Social Security or unemployment letters).
• Social Security numbers for people applying, and immigration papers for noncitizens applying.
• Information about any job-based insurance the family could get (ALL Kids Appendix A).
• For seniors and disability applications: bank statements, life insurance and property records, because the resource test applies.
• Any unpaid medical bills from the last three months, if you want retroactive coverage.

For example, one applicant in Montgomery, a mother of two earning $2,800 a month at a hospital front desk, would find her children covered by Alabama Medicaid (under $3,324 for three) while she's over the $410 parent line. Her best route is to apply for the kids on Insure Alabama and check the HealthCare.gov marketplace for herself, where her income may qualify her for tax credits.

After You Apply: Decision, Back Coverage and Renewal

Federal rules give the Alabama Medicaid Agency up to 45 days to decide most applications, or 90 days when disability is the basis, under 42 CFR 435.912. Alabama's pages don't promise a faster figure, so answer any request for papers the week it arrives.

Retroactive coverage: Alabama's administrative code (Rule 560-X-25-.12) allows coverage for medical bills from the three months before your application month if you'd have qualified then, and says you have to ask for it within six months of your approval notice. The 2025 federal law changes that for applications filed on or after January 1, 2027: because Alabama has no expansion group, the federal limit for its groups becomes two months before the application month. Alabama's own pages hadn't announced the change as of November 13, 2026, so the federal date is the one to plan around.

Renewal: Alabama Medicaid reviews eligibility at least once every 12 months. When a renewal form comes, fill it out and return it by the date on it. Alabama Medicaid's 2023 renewal notice said people who lose coverage for not returning the form can have it reinstated if they send it within 90 days and still qualify. ALL Kids renews separately through ADPH.

What Changes in 2026 and 2027 Mean for Alabama

The 2025 federal law changed Medicaid in 4 ways, and only 2 of them reach Alabama:

• Work requirement (January 1, 2027): doesn't apply in Alabama. The federal interim final rule published June 3, 2026 applies the 80-hour community engagement rule to expansion adults only. Alabama has none, so no current Alabama Medicaid group must report work hours.
• Six-month renewals: don't apply in Alabama for the same reason; they're for expansion adults.
• Retroactive coverage (applications from January 1, 2027): applies. The window falls from three months to two, as shown above.
• Immigrant eligibility (October 1, 2026): applies. Federal law narrowed which lawfully present immigrants qualify for Medicaid starting October 1, 2026, to lawful permanent residents, Cuban and Haitian entrants and COFA citizens. Alabama's handouts say noncitizens who meet the other rules can still get emergency Medicaid. If you're unsure about your status, call 1-800-362-1504 before you assume you've lost coverage.

If someone tells you that you'll need to "log work hours" to keep Alabama Medicaid in 2027, that's a red flag: it isn't what the federal rule says for Alabama's groups.

What the Alabama Medicaid Agency Doesn't Tell You

Alabama Medicaid's pages are written for each program, so 5 points get lost between them:

1. Two agencies, two front doors. Children, pregnancy and parent applications go through ADPH's Insure Alabama site; senior and disability applications go through Alabama Medicaid's Expedite portal or a district office. Using the wrong door slows you down.
2. Your children may qualify when you don't. A family can have kids on Medicaid or ALL Kids and a parent with nothing. Apply for the whole household anyway so each person gets a decision.
3. Back coverage has a deadline. You can ask for up to three months of back coverage, but Alabama's rule gives you six months from your approval notice to request it.
4. The copay can't block care. Providers can't turn you away because you can't pay a $3.90 copay, according to Alabama Medicaid's copay handout.
5. Adult glasses and visits are rationed. With 14 doctor visits a year and one pair of glasses every two years, plan routine visits so you don't run out before December.

Common Mistakes and Red Flags

Most Alabamians who lose coverage miss a step rather than earn too much. Avoid these:

• A common mistake: assuming "Alabama doesn't cover adults" means you can't apply. Parents at very low income, pregnant women, seniors and people with disabilities do qualify.
• Forgetting ALL Kids renewal. ALL Kids and Medicaid renew separately; a child can lose ALL Kids while a sibling keeps Medicaid.
• Unreported income changes. A raise can move a child from Medicaid to ALL Kids, with a premium. Report it so you aren't billed later.
• Moving without telling Alabama Medicaid. Renewal forms go to the address on file.
• Red flag: anyone charging to apply. Insure Alabama, Expedite, outstationed workers and the Recipient Call Center are free. Calls or texts asking for a bank card number to "keep Medicaid" aren't from the Alabama Medicaid Agency.
• Underestimating the parent limit. At $410 a month for three, almost any job puts a parent over. Check the HealthCare.gov marketplace the same week.

Other Help in Alabama If You Don't Qualify

Alabama has 3 usual next steps when Medicaid says no. Ask for a fair hearing by the deadline on your notice if you think income or household size was counted wrong. Check the HealthCare.gov marketplace, where many Alabama adults above the poverty line get tax credits. And use community health centers, which charge on a sliding scale.

Food and utility help can cover the gap while you sort out health coverage. See our Alabama food stamps guide and Alabama SNAP benefits guide, and our Alabama LIHEAP guide for heating and cooling bills. Pregnant women and parents of young children can add WIC; see the national WIC income limits guide. For rent, see rental assistance programs. To compare Alabama with expansion states, read our Medicaid income limits guide, and try the Grantsights eligibility checker to find other programs your household may fit.

It's worth applying for every child in an Alabama household even if the parents won't qualify: ALL Kids reaches more than 17 times the parent limit.

FAQ: Alabama Medicaid

How do I apply for Alabama Medicaid?

Children, pregnant women and parents can apply online at insurealabama.adph.state.al.us, which handles ALL Kids, SOBRA Medicaid and Medicaid for Low Income Families. Seniors and people with disabilities apply through Alabama Medicaid's Expedite portal or at one of its district offices. You can also call the Alabama Medicaid Recipient Call Center at 1-800-362-1504 or find an outstationed worker at most county health departments.

Did Alabama expand Medicaid?

No. Alabama hasn't expanded Medicaid, so most adults 19 to 64 who aren't pregnant, disabled or caring for a child can't get full Alabama Medicaid at any income. Parents qualify only at very low income: Alabama Medicaid's February 2026 handout sets the limit at $410 a month for a family of three.

Do Alabama Medicaid's 2027 work requirements apply to me?

Not under current Alabama rules. The federal work requirement that starts January 1, 2027 applies only to adults covered through Medicaid expansion, and Alabama has no expansion group. Alabama children, parents, pregnant women, seniors and people with disabilities aren't subject to it.

Does Alabama Medicaid have copays?

Yes, small ones for adults. Alabama Medicaid's copay handout lists $1.30 to $3.90 for a doctor visit, 65 cents to $3.90 for a prescription, $3.90 for an outpatient hospital visit and $50 for a hospital admission. Children 18 and under, pregnancy-related care, nursing home residents and American Indians with an IHS letter don't pay, and a provider can't refuse care because you can't pay.

What is ALL Kids in Alabama?

ALL Kids is Alabama's CHIP program, run by the Alabama Department of Public Health for children under 19 whose family income is too high for Medicaid. For a family of three, it covers children up to $7,218 a month from February 1, 2026, with yearly premiums of $52 or $104 per child depending on income.

How long does Alabama Medicaid cover pregnant women?

Through 12 months after the pregnancy ends. Medicaid.gov shows Alabama's plan change for 12 months of continuous postpartum coverage was approved January 13, 2023, effective October 1, 2022.

Can Alabama Medicaid pay bills from before I applied?

Yes, for up to three months before the month you applied, if you'd have qualified then. Alabama's administrative code says you must ask for it within six months of your approval notice. For applications from January 1, 2027, federal law cuts that window to two months for groups like Alabama's.

Sources

1. ADPH: ALL Kids Monthly Income Guidelines (opens in a new tab), effective February 1, 2026, checked November 13, 2026
2. ADPH: ALL Kids Premiums and Copays (opens in a new tab), updated October 5, 2026
3. ADPH: ALL Kids How to Apply (opens in a new tab) and Apply Online (opens in a new tab), checked November 13, 2026
4. ADPH: ALL Kids eligibility (opens in a new tab), updated April 17, 2026
5. Alabama Medicaid: Medicaid Income Limits for 2026 (opens in a new tab) and Form 208 eligibility handout (opens in a new tab)
6. Alabama Medicaid: Copayments for Medicaid Services (opens in a new tab), September 2024
7. Alabama Medicaid: Covered Services Handbook (opens in a new tab), October 2024
8. Alabama Medicaid: Applicant Contacts (opens in a new tab) and Applying FAQ (opens in a new tab)
9. Alabama Medicaid: ACHN for recipients (opens in a new tab)
10. Alabama Administrative Code Rule 560-X-25-.12: Periods of Entitlement (opens in a new tab)
11. Medicaid.gov: Alabama SPA AL-22-0007, postpartum coverage (opens in a new tab), approved January 13, 2023
12. Federal Register: Medicaid community engagement rule (opens in a new tab), June 3, 2026
13. eCFR: 42 CFR 435.912 (opens in a new tab)