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North Dakota Medicaid for pregnant women

Who qualifies for North Dakota Medicaid, the income limit for your household size, what it covers and how to apply with North Dakota Health and Human Services.

Limits as of January 2026 · Checked October 2026 · 16 sources

Apply for North Dakota Medicaid

North Dakota 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 hhs.nd.gov

Check your income against the limit

Short answer

In North Dakota, you qualify for pregnancy Medicaid if your household earns up to 175% of the poverty level: about $37,870 a year for a household of two (you and the baby). Coverage lasts 12 months after birth.

North Dakota pregnancy Medicaid income limits for 2026

Find your household size and compare your household's income with the limit. North Dakota Medicaid covers pregnancy up to 175% of the federal poverty level.

North Dakota Medicaid income limits2026 guidelines, 48 states and DC
HouseholdPer yearPer month
2you + 1 baby$37,870$3,156
3$47,810$3,984
4$57,750$4,813
5$67,690$5,641
6$77,630$6,469
7$87,570$7,298
8$97,510$8,126

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 North Dakota, two adults expecting one baby, can earn up to $47,810 a year ($27,320 × 175%).

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

  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 North Dakota Health and Human Services

    Apply on the state's site (hhs.nd.gov). Go to the North Dakota 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

    North Dakota 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.

North Dakota 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 North Dakota Medicaid coverage after birth, since January 1, 2023

KFF postpartum tracker, July 2026

What North Dakota 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
North Dakota Medicaid keeps covering you for 12 months after the pregnancy ends, a rule in place since January 1, 2023.
Postpartum coverage in every state

Doula care

No
North Dakota Medicaid doesn't cover doula care.We list 15 doulas in North Dakota.
Doulas in North DakotaDoula coverage in every state

Lactation support

Limited
In North Dakota, Medicaid pays for breastfeeding counseling only as general preventive counseling by enrolled clinicians and refers members to WIC for lactation services.
Lactation consultants in North DakotaLactation coverage in every state

Breast pump

Yes
In North Dakota, Medicaid covers a manual breast pump each year or an electric pump every three years, with a prescription and no service authorization.
Breast pump rules in North Dakota and every state

What's changing

Rules that affect pregnancy coverage in North Dakota 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 North Dakota

All 50 states and DC

Questions about pregnancy Medicaid in North Dakota

What is the income limit for pregnancy Medicaid in North Dakota?

North Dakota Medicaid covers pregnancy for household incomes up to 175% of the federal poverty level. At the 2026 guidelines that's about $37,870 a year for a household of two, $47,810 for three and $57,750 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 North Dakota Medicaid cover you after birth?

12 months after the pregnancy ends, a rule in place since January 1, 2023.

Can I get covered the same day in North Dakota?

North Dakota 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 North Dakota?

Apply with North Dakota Health and Human Services at hhs.nd.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 North Dakota Medicaid pay for a doula?

North Dakota Medicaid doesn't cover doula care.

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 North Dakota Health and Human Services and can't tell you whether you qualify. Apply at hhs.nd.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.North Dakota Medicaid: how to apply North Dakota Health and Human Services. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  6. 6.CMS approval of North Dakota State Plan Amendment ND-22-0025 (12-month postpartum coverage), effective 2023-01-01 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 16 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.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.
  6. 14.Billing and Policy Manual: Preventive Services and Chronic Disease Management and Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment (EPSDT) Policy North Dakota Health and Human Services (ND Medicaid). Accessed October 9, 2026.
  7. 15.Breast Pump (Electric and Manual) Policy, Durable Medical Equipment Manual North Dakota Health and Human Services (ND Medicaid). Accessed October 9, 2026.
  8. 16.Medicaid Coverage of Pregnancy-Related Services: Findings from a 2021 State Survey KFF. Accessed October 9, 2026.