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Massachusetts Medicaid for pregnant women

Who qualifies for MassHealth, the income limit for your household size, what it covers and how to apply with MassHealth (Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services).

Limits as of January 2026 · Checked October 2026 · 24 sources

Apply for MassHealth

MassHealth (Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services) 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 mass.gov

Check your income against the limit

Short answer

In Massachusetts, you qualify for pregnancy Medicaid if your household earns up to 205% of the poverty level: about $44,362 a year for a household of two (you and the baby). Coverage lasts 12 months after birth.

Massachusetts pregnancy Medicaid income limits for 2026

Find your household size and compare your household's income with the limit. MassHealth covers pregnancy up to 205% of the federal poverty level.

MassHealth income limits2026 guidelines, 48 states and DC
HouseholdPer yearPer month
2you + 1 baby$44,362$3,697
3$56,006$4,667
4$67,650$5,638
5$79,294$6,608
6$90,938$7,578
7$102,582$8,549
8$114,226$9,519

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 Massachusetts, two adults expecting one baby, can earn up to $56,006 a year ($27,320 × 205%).

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

  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 MassHealth (Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services)

    Apply on the state's site (mass.gov). Go to the MassHealth 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

    MassHealth 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.

Massachusetts 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 MassHealth coverage after birth, since April 1, 2022

KFF postpartum tracker, July 2026

What MassHealth 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
MassHealth 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 Massachusetts, Medicaid covers doula care: up to $1,700 per pregnancy for up to 8 hours of prenatal and postpartum visits, plus support during labor and delivery.We list 885 doulas in Massachusetts.
Doulas in MassachusettsDoula coverage in every state

Lactation support

Limited
In Massachusetts, MassHealth includes breastfeeding counseling in prenatal care paid under the obstetric fee and has no separate lactation consultant benefit.
Lactation consultants in MassachusettsLactation coverage in every state

Breast pump

Yes
In Massachusetts, MassHealth covers one manual or electric breast pump per pregnancy with a prescription.
Breast pump rules in Massachusetts and every state

What's changing

Rules that affect pregnancy coverage in Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts

All 50 states and DC

Questions about pregnancy Medicaid in Massachusetts

What is the income limit for pregnancy Medicaid in Massachusetts?

MassHealth covers pregnancy for household incomes up to 205% of the federal poverty level. At the 2026 guidelines that's about $44,362 a year for a household of two, $56,006 for three and $67,650 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 MassHealth 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 Massachusetts?

Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts?

Apply with MassHealth (Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services) at mass.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 MassHealth pay for a doula?

In Massachusetts, Medicaid covers doula care: up to $1,700 per pregnancy for up to 8 hours of prenatal and 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 MassHealth (Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services) and can't tell you whether you qualify. Apply at mass.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.MassHealth: how to apply MassHealth (Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services). Accessed October 9, 2026.
  6. 6.CMS approval of Massachusetts State Plan Amendment MA-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 24 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.MassHealth Doula Services Program: Information for Doulas MassHealth. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  6. 14.MassHealth Doula Services Program: Information for MassHealth Members MassHealth. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  7. 15.101 CMR 319.00: Rates for Doula Services (effective December 8, 2023) Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  8. 16.130 CMR 463.000: Doula Services MassHealth. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  9. 17.Massachusetts SPA 23-0065: Doula services coverage and payment CMS (Medicaid.gov). Accessed October 9, 2026.
  10. 18.Massachusetts SPA 24-0040: Doula services for adoptive parents of infants 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. 20.130 CMR 433.421: Obstetric Services: Global-fee Method of Payment (text via Cornell LII) MassHealth (Executive Office of Health and Human Services), reproduced by Cornell Legal Information Institute. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  13. 21.Covered Services List for WellSense BILH Performance Network ACO Plan Members with MassHealth Standard & CommonHealth Coverage (CSL-S-CH Rev. 2/26) WellSense Health Plan. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  14. 22.Medicaid Coverage of Pregnancy-Related Services: Findings from a 2021 State Survey KFF. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  15. 23.MassHealth DME and OXY Payment and Coverage Guideline Tool (V.49) (excerpt) MassHealth (Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services). Accessed October 9, 2026.
  16. 24.130 CMR 409.000: Durable Medical Equipment Services Regulations (effective July 31, 2026) (excerpt) MassHealth (Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services). Accessed October 9, 2026.