Skip to main content
The Mom Site

Delaware Medicaid for pregnant women

Who qualifies for Delaware Medicaid, the income limit for your household size, what it covers and how to apply with Delaware Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance.

Limits as of January 2026 · Checked October 2026 · 26 sources

Apply for Delaware Medicaid

Delaware Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance runs it. We're not the state agency, so you apply with them, online or with help from your clinic or hospital.

Start your application

Opens assist.dhss.delaware.gov

Check your income against the limit

Short answer

In Delaware, you qualify for pregnancy Medicaid if your household earns up to 217% of the poverty level: about $46,959 a year for a household of two (you and the baby). Coverage lasts 12 months after birth.

Delaware pregnancy Medicaid income limits for 2026

Find your household size and compare your household's income with the limit. Delaware Medicaid covers pregnancy up to 217% of the federal poverty level.

Delaware Medicaid income limits2026 guidelines, 48 states and DC
HouseholdPer yearPer month
2you + 1 baby$46,959$3,913
3$59,284$4,940
4$71,610$5,968
5$83,936$6,995
6$96,261$8,022
7$108,587$9,049
8$120,912$10,076

Annual and monthly household income. See the 2026 poverty guidelines

Your baby counts

For Medicaid, a pregnant woman's family size counts her plus the number of children she is expected to deliver (42 CFR 435.603(b)). A household of three in Delaware, two adults expecting one baby, can earn up to $59,284 a year ($27,320 × 217%).

Limits are percents of the poverty level from KFF and Georgetown CCF (January 2026) and include the standard 5-point income disregard. Delaware rounds and updates on its own schedule, so treat the dollars as approximate.

Sources: KFF State Health Facts; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Federal Register); eCFR (National Archives). Data as of October 2026.

How to apply in Delaware

  1. Count your household

    Count yourself plus each baby you're expecting, and anyone else the state counts with you. Find your size in the table above.

  2. Apply with Delaware Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance

    Apply on the state's site (assist.dhss.delaware.gov). Go to the Delaware Medicaid application

  3. Ask the hospital about temporary coverage

    Hospitals in every state may grant presumptive eligibility, which covers you while your full application is processed.

  4. Keep your coverage after birth

    Delaware Medicaid covers you for 12 months after the pregnancy ends.

Get covered today

Hospitals only

Presumptive eligibility lets a qualified clinic or hospital enroll a pregnant person in temporary Medicaid right away, while the full application is processed.

Delaware doesn't use it for its pregnancy group, but hospitals in every state may make these determinations.

Source: KFF and Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. Data as of January 2025.

12 months

of Delaware Medicaid coverage after birth, since July 1, 2022

KFF postpartum tracker, July 2026

What Delaware Medicaid covers for pregnancy

Coverage after birth, plus the three extras people ask about most, each from our state-by-state trackers.

After birth

12 months
Delaware Medicaid keeps covering you for 12 months after the pregnancy ends, a rule in place since July 1, 2022.
Postpartum coverage in every state

Doula care

Yes
In Delaware, Medicaid covers doula care: up to $1,046.88 per pregnancy for 3 prenatal and 3 postpartum visits, plus support during labor and delivery.We list 75 doulas in Delaware.
Doulas in DelawareDoula coverage in every state

Lactation support

Yes
In Delaware, Medicaid pays for up to five lactation counseling sessions per child from licensed clinicians who also hold IBCLC or CLC certification.
Lactation consultants in DelawareLactation coverage in every state

Breast pump

Yes
In Delaware, Medicaid covers manual and double electric breast pumps with no prior authorization for the first pump, and you can request one up to 60 days before your due date.
Breast pump rules in Delaware and every state

What's changing

Rules that affect pregnancy coverage in Delaware now and in 2027.

Sources: U.S. Government Publishing Office; Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; KFF and Georgetown University Center for Children and Families

More for families in Delaware

All 50 states and DC

Questions about pregnancy Medicaid in Delaware

What is the income limit for pregnancy Medicaid in Delaware?

Delaware Medicaid covers pregnancy for household incomes up to 217% of the federal poverty level. At the 2026 guidelines that's about $46,959 a year for a household of two, $59,284 for three and $71,610 for four. Limits are KFF's figures as of January 2026.

Does my unborn baby count in my household size?

Yes. For Medicaid, a pregnant woman's family size counts her plus the number of children she is expected to deliver (42 CFR 435.603(b)). A single pregnant woman expecting one baby is a household of two; expecting twins, a household of three.

How long does Delaware Medicaid cover you after birth?

12 months after the pregnancy ends, a rule in place since July 1, 2022.

Can I get covered the same day in Delaware?

Delaware doesn't use presumptive eligibility for its pregnancy group, but hospitals in every state may make presumptive eligibility determinations, so ask the hospital.

How do I apply for pregnancy Medicaid in Delaware?

Apply with Delaware Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance at assist.dhss.delaware.gov. Count yourself plus each baby you're expecting as your household, and compare your income with the limit for that size. We're not the state agency and can't take applications.

Does Delaware Medicaid pay for a doula?

In Delaware, Medicaid covers doula care: up to $1,046.88 per pregnancy for 3 prenatal and 3 postpartum visits, plus support during labor and delivery.

Do pregnant women have to meet the new Medicaid work requirements?

Public Law 119-21 (2025) requires states to apply Medicaid work (community engagement) requirements to expansion adults ages 19-64 starting no later than January 1, 2027 (states may start earlier; HHS may grant good-faith exemptions that end by December 31, 2028). People who are pregnant or entitled to postpartum coverage are exempt, as are parents and caretakers of a dependent child 13 or younger.

We're not Delaware Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance and can't tell you whether you qualify. Apply at assist.dhss.delaware.gov for a decision. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we'll check it against the state's own notice.

Sources

  1. 1.Medicaid and CHIP Income Eligibility Limits for Pregnant Women as a Percent of the Federal Poverty Level (as of January 2026) KFF State Health Facts. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  2. 2.Medicaid and CHIP Eligibility, Enrollment, and Renewal Policies as States Prepare for Major Medicaid Policy Changes (Table 2, January 2026) KFF and Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  3. 3.Medicaid Postpartum Coverage Extension Tracker (as of July 15, 2026) KFF. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  4. 4.Medicaid and CHIP Eligibility, Enrollment, and Renewal Policies as States Resume Routine Operations Following the Unwinding (Table 7: Presumptive Eligibility, January 2025) KFF and Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  5. 5.Delaware Medicaid: how to apply Delaware Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  6. 6.CMS approval of Delaware State Plan Amendment DE-22-0011 (12-month postpartum coverage), effective 2022-07-01 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  7. 7.Annual Update of the HHS Poverty Guidelines (91 FR 1797, Jan. 15, 2026) U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Federal Register). Accessed October 9, 2026.
  8. 8.42 CFR 435.603(b), definition of family size eCFR (National Archives). Accessed October 9, 2026.
Show all 26 sources
  1. 9.Public Law 119-21, sec. 71119: Requirement for States to Establish Medicaid Community Engagement Requirements (adds SSA sec. 1902(xx)) U.S. Government Publishing Office. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  2. 10.SHO #26-001: Implementation of Section 71109 "Alien Medicaid Eligibility" (April 8, 2026) Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  3. 11.42 CFR 447.56(a)(2)(ii), exemptions from Medicaid cost sharing: pregnancy-related services eCFR / Code of Federal Regulations.
  4. 12.Delaware SPA 24-0001 (doula services) approval package CMS / Medicaid.gov. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  5. 13.Delaware SPA 25-0002 (additional postpartum doula visits) approval package CMS / Medicaid.gov. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  6. 14.House Bill 80 (152nd GA): coverage of doula services Delaware General Assembly. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  7. 15.Certified Doula for Medicaid Reimbursement Delaware Certification Board. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  8. 16.Doula Services (provider page: benefit & reimbursement) Delaware First Health (Medicaid MCO). Accessed October 9, 2026.
  9. 17.Doula Quick Reference Guide (updated Oct 2025) Delaware First Health (Medicaid MCO). Accessed October 9, 2026.
  10. 18.Doula Services (member page) Delaware First Health (Medicaid MCO). Accessed October 9, 2026.
  11. 19.Doula Medicaid Project: state-by-state chart of doula Medicaid efforts (last updated Sep. 2026) National Health Law Program (NHeLP). Accessed October 9, 2026.
  12. 20.State Trends in Medicaid Coverage of Doula Services (published April 1, 2026; data as of March 2026) National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP). Accessed October 9, 2026.
  13. 21.Practitioner Provider Specific Policy Manual (Section 19.0 Lactation Counseling Services) Delaware Health and Social Services, Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  14. 22.Delaware Medical Assistance Program 2026 1Q Provider Bulletin (DMAP Now Covers Lactation Counseling Services) Delaware Health and Social Services, Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  15. 23.Public Notice: Lactation (proposed Title XIX Medicaid State Plan amendment), 28 DE Reg. 795 (05/01/25) Delaware Register of Regulations / Delaware Health and Social Services, Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  16. 24.Medicaid Coverage of Pregnancy-Related Services: Findings from a 2021 State Survey KFF. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  17. 25.Durable Medical Equipment Provider Specific Policy Manual (Section 5.25 Breast Pumps) Delaware Health and Social Services, Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  18. 26.2026 Durable Medical Equipment (DME) Fee Schedule, Eff. 01/01/2026 Delaware Health and Social Services, Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance. Accessed October 9, 2026.