Having a baby can be an exciting time, but it can also carry significant expenses, depending on what kind of insurance coverage or assistance you have. Many pregnant people can find support through Supplemental Security Income (SSI), which is an income program for low-income people with disabilities, and Medicaid, which is an insurance program for low-income people. In fact, Medicaid paid for 41.3% of all births in 2022 (the most recent data available).

Public benefits that assist with the costs of pregnancy and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:childbirth are more commonly used by those living in rural areas and by minorities. Here, we’ll explain what SSꦚI and Medicaid cover during pregnancy and childbirt❀h and who qualifies for this assistance.

SSI During Pregnancy

SSI is a program that provides monthly payments to adults and children with disabilities who have income under specific limits. It is only🀅 available during pregnancy if you already qualify f✅or it separate from your pregnancy.

To qualify for SSI, you’ll need to have a disability or blindness that will permanently prevent you from working. You must have resources of less than $2,000 ($3,000 for couples) and meet household income limits specific to your state.

SSI After Pregnancy

After you give birth, you may need to use SSI for a range of medical services, such as care for low birth weight babies,♕ for disabled children, or for yourself if you become disabled after pregnancy. Let’s look in more detail at what SSI provides in these scenarios.

Low Birth Weight (LBW) Babies

If you give birth to a premature baby, the baby will qualify for SꦍSI if they meet the low birth weight (LBW) requirements. SSI considers a ℱchild an LBW baby if they:

• Weighed 1,200 grams (about 2.65 pounds) or less at birth
• Weighed 2,000 grams (about 4.41 pounds) or less and are at less than the 3rd percentile of size for their gestational age

Most hospitals have social workers who furnish paperwork to the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Social Security Admini🐼stration (SSA) so new mothers can qualify for benefits. If yours does not, you can file online at and an SSA employee will contact you to complete the application.

Disabled Children

If your child is not born prematurely with a sufficiently low birth weight to qualify for LBW benefits, they may still be able to qualify for SSI if they have significant disabilities.

While they remain in the hospital, your household income isn’t conside♍red for their eligibility. But once your child leaves the hospital, they 🦹will only continue to qualify for SSI benefits if your household meets low income and resource requirements.

Disabled Adults Post-Pregnancy

If you experience post-pregnancy complications severe enough to prevent you from working, you may qualify for 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Social Security ꧅Disabilityꦓ Insurance (SSDI). But you must have worked in jobs that were covered by Social Security. For 2024, to qualify for an SSI payment in addition to an SSDI payment, your unearned income must be lower than $735 per month, though this limit is higher in some states.

Medicaid During Pregnancy

Medicaid is a public health insurance program for low-income people. It is available during pregna🧸ncy for any person who meets the income requirements for their state.

Pregnancy is a qualifying event to enroll in Medicaid, and states have multiple tiers of coverage that are dependent on household income level. Most states have both (1) full-scope Medicaid that covers all medical services for low-income households, and (2) a more limited version of Medicaid that covers only pregnancy-related services for people with moderate household inc☂omes.

Some states have additional tiers of coverage for higher-income individuals, like California’s Medi-Cal Access Program.

Medicaid for Children

After birth, Medicaid is available to all LBW children. Non-LBW children can qualify for Medicaid through the 澳洲幸🎶运5开奖号码历史查询:Children’s Healthౠ Insurance Program (CHIP) if their household 🦋meets income eligibiliꦅty limits.

Each state has its own income limits based on the federal poverty level and household size. For example, Hawaii has an income limit of 308% of the federal poverty level for a household with one child. Lower cost-of-living conservative states with no Medicaid expansion have much lower limits; Alabama, for example, has a limit of 141%.

The Bottom Line

Medicaid is available to many people during pregnancy and childbirth to help cover some of the enormous financial burden of having a child. Depending on your state, even 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:someone working full time may be under the income limits to qualify ꦚfor Medicaid. SSI can also help during pregnancy and childbirth, but it only serves low-income people with permanent disabilities.