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Wisconsin Medicaid for pregnant women

Who qualifies for BadgerCare Plus, the income limit for your household size, what it covers and how to apply with Wisconsin Department of Health Services.

Limits as of January 2026 · Checked October 2026 · 21 sources

Apply for BadgerCare Plus

Wisconsin Department of Health 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 dhs.wisconsin.gov

Check your income against the limit

Short answer

In Wisconsin, you qualify for pregnancy Medicaid if your household earns up to 306% of the poverty level: about $66,218 a year for a household of two (you and the baby). Coverage lasts 12 months after birth. A qualified clinic or hospital can enroll you the same day.

Wisconsin pregnancy Medicaid income limits for 2026

Find your household size and compare your household's income with the limit. BadgerCare Plus covers pregnancy up to 306% of the federal poverty level.

BadgerCare Plus income limits2026 guidelines, 48 states and DC
HouseholdPer yearPer month
2you + 1 baby$66,218$5,518
3$83,599$6,967
4$100,980$8,415
5$118,361$9,863
6$135,742$11,312
7$153,122$12,760
8$170,503$14,209

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 Wisconsin, two adults expecting one baby, can earn up to $83,599 a year ($27,320 × 306%).

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

  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 Wisconsin Department of Health Services

    Apply on the state's site (dhs.wisconsin.gov). Go to the BadgerCare Plus application

  3. Ask for same-day coverage

    At your first prenatal visit, ask whether the clinic can enroll you through presumptive eligibility while your application is processed.

  4. Keep your coverage after birth

    BadgerCare Plus covers you for 12 months after the pregnancy ends.

Get covered today

Yes

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

Wisconsin uses it for pregnancy. Ask at your first prenatal visit whether the clinic can enroll you.

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

12 months

of BadgerCare Plus coverage after birth, since July 1, 2026

KFF postpartum tracker, July 2026

What BadgerCare Plus 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
BadgerCare Plus keeps covering you for 12 months after the pregnancy ends, a rule in place since July 1, 2026.
Postpartum coverage in every state

Doula care

No
Wisconsin Medicaid doesn't cover doula care.We list 145 doulas in Wisconsin.
Doulas in WisconsinDoula coverage in every state

Lactation support

Limited
In Wisconsin, ForwardHealth covers breastfeeding education only through its Prenatal Care Coordination program.
Lactation consultants in WisconsinLactation coverage in every state

Breast pump

Yes
In Wisconsin, ForwardHealth covers a manual or electric breast pump from the third trimester, up to one a year, with a prescription and no prior authorization.
Breast pump rules in Wisconsin and every state

What's changing

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

Sources: Office of the Governor of Wisconsin; KFF; U.S. Government Publishing Office; Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

More for families in Wisconsin

All 50 states and DC

Questions about pregnancy Medicaid in Wisconsin

What is the income limit for pregnancy Medicaid in Wisconsin?

BadgerCare Plus covers pregnancy for household incomes up to 306% of the federal poverty level. At the 2026 guidelines that's about $66,218 a year for a household of two, $83,599 for three and $100,980 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 BadgerCare Plus cover you after birth?

12 months after the pregnancy ends, a rule in place since July 1, 2026.

Can I get covered the same day in Wisconsin?

Yes. Wisconsin uses presumptive eligibility for pregnancy, so a qualified clinic or hospital can enroll you in temporary Medicaid the same day while your full application is processed.

How do I apply for pregnancy Medicaid in Wisconsin?

Apply with Wisconsin Department of Health Services at dhs.wisconsin.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 BadgerCare Plus pay for a doula?

Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin Department of Health Services and can't tell you whether you qualify. Apply at dhs.wisconsin.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.BadgerCare Plus: how to apply Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  6. 6.Gov. Evers, DHS Celebrate Extended Postpartum Medicaid Coverage Now in Effect (July 1, 2026) Office of the Governor of Wisconsin. 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 21 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.ForwardHealth Online Handbook Archive: Prenatal Care Coordination (Published Policy Through September 30, 2026) Wisconsin Department of Health Services, ForwardHealth. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  7. 15.ForwardHealth Online Handbook Archive: Physician (Published Policy Through September 30, 2026) Wisconsin Department of Health Services, ForwardHealth. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  8. 16.ForwardHealth Online Handbook Archive: Federally Qualified Health Center (Published Policy Through September 30, 2026) Wisconsin Department of Health Services, ForwardHealth. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  9. 17.ForwardHealth Online Handbook Archive: Community Health Center (Published Policy Through September 30, 2026) Wisconsin Department of Health Services, ForwardHealth. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  10. 18.ForwardHealth Online Handbook Archive: Home Health (Published Policy Through September 30, 2026) Wisconsin Department of Health Services, ForwardHealth. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  11. 19.Medicaid Coverage of Pregnancy-Related Services: Findings from a 2021 State Survey KFF. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  12. 20.ForwardHealth Online Handbook Archive: Durable Medical Equipment (Published Policy Through September 30, 2026) Wisconsin Department of Health Services, ForwardHealth. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  13. 21.ForwardHealth Update No. 2024-39: Expanded Breast Pump Coverage Wisconsin Department of Health Services, ForwardHealth. Accessed October 9, 2026.