Skip to main content
The Mom Site

Maryland Medicaid for pregnant women

Who qualifies for Maryland Medicaid, the income limit for your household size, what it covers and how to apply with Maryland Department of Health.

Limits as of January 2026 · Checked October 2026 · 25 sources

Apply for Maryland Medicaid

Maryland Department of Health 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 health.maryland.gov

Check your income against the limit

Short answer

In Maryland, you qualify for pregnancy Medicaid if your household earns up to 264% of the poverty level: about $57,130 a year for a household of two (you and the baby). Coverage lasts 12 months after birth.

Maryland pregnancy Medicaid income limits for 2026

Find your household size and compare your household's income with the limit. Maryland Medicaid covers pregnancy up to 264% of the federal poverty level.

Maryland Medicaid income limits2026 guidelines, 48 states and DC
HouseholdPer yearPer month
2you + 1 baby$57,130$4,761
3$72,125$6,010
4$87,120$7,260
5$102,115$8,510
6$117,110$9,759
7$132,106$11,009
8$147,101$12,258

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 Maryland, two adults expecting one baby, can earn up to $72,125 a year ($27,320 × 264%).

Limits are percents of the poverty level from KFF and Georgetown CCF (January 2026) and include the standard 5-point income disregard. Maryland 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 Maryland

  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 Maryland Department of Health

    Apply on the state's site (health.maryland.gov). Go to the Maryland 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

    Maryland 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.

Maryland 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 Maryland Medicaid coverage after birth, since April 1, 2022

KFF postpartum tracker, July 2026

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

Doula care

Yes
In Maryland, Medicaid covers doula care: up to $1,427.84 per pregnancy for 8 prenatal or postpartum visits, plus support during labor and delivery.We list 455 doulas in Maryland.
Doulas in MarylandDoula coverage in every state

Lactation support

Yes
In Maryland, HealthChoice health plans must cover lactation counseling as a maternity benefit for pregnant members.
Lactation consultants in MarylandLactation coverage in every state

Breast pump

Limited
In Maryland, fee-for-service Medicaid covers manual and electric pumps with a prescription, but HealthChoice plans have to cover them only for listed medical reasons.
Breast pump rules in Maryland and every state

What's changing

Rules that affect pregnancy coverage in Maryland 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 Maryland

All 50 states and DC

Questions about pregnancy Medicaid in Maryland

What is the income limit for pregnancy Medicaid in Maryland?

Maryland Medicaid covers pregnancy for household incomes up to 264% of the federal poverty level. At the 2026 guidelines that's about $57,130 a year for a household of two, $72,125 for three and $87,120 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 Maryland Medicaid cover you after birth?

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

Can I get covered the same day in Maryland?

Maryland 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 Maryland?

Apply with Maryland Department of Health at health.maryland.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 Maryland Medicaid pay for a doula?

In Maryland, Medicaid covers doula care: up to $1,427.84 per pregnancy for 8 prenatal or 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 Maryland Department of Health and can't tell you whether you qualify. Apply at health.maryland.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.Maryland Medicaid: how to apply Maryland Department of Health. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  6. 6.CMS approval of Maryland State Plan Amendment MD-22-0014 (12-month postpartum coverage), effective 2022-04-01 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 25 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.Doula Medicaid Project: state-by-state chart of doula Medicaid efforts (last updated Sep. 2026) National Health Law Program (NHeLP). Accessed October 9, 2026.
  5. 13.Medicaid Doula Services Program Manual (updated January 13, 2026) Maryland Department of Health. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  6. 14.PT 84-26: Claim Resubmission and Billing Clarification for Doula Services (June 11, 2026) Maryland Department of Health. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  7. 15.PT 45-26: Extension of Doula Self-Referral and Expansion of Doula Certification Organizations (Dec 19, 2025) Maryland Department of Health. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  8. 16.Become a Doula Provider (Doula Provider Information) Maryland Department of Health. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  9. 17.Medicaid Doula Program Maryland Department of Health. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  10. 18.Maryland SPA 22-0004: Doula services CMS (Medicaid.gov). Accessed October 9, 2026.
  11. 19.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.
  12. 20.Priority Partners Member Handbook (Updated September 2025) Priority Partners (HealthChoice MCO). Accessed October 9, 2026.
  13. 21.UnitedHealthcare Community Plan Maryland HealthChoice Member Handbook (January 1, 2026) UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Maryland. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  14. 22.Maryland Physicians Care Member Handbook (Revised December 3, 2025) Maryland Physicians Care (HealthChoice MCO). Accessed October 9, 2026.
  15. 23.Medicaid Coverage of Pregnancy-Related Services: Findings from a 2021 State Survey KFF. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  16. 24.PT 19-20, MCO Transmittal No. 136: Breast Pump Coverage in the HealthChoice Program (scanned; text by OCR) Maryland Department of Health, Maryland Medicaid Managed Care Program. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  17. 25.DME/DMS/Oxygen, Prosthetics & Orthotics Fee Schedule (Effective 4/1/2026) Maryland Department of Health, Maryland Medicaid. Accessed October 9, 2026.