Indiana program
Health coverage for the adult caring for your child (Healthy Indiana Plan)
Indiana's health coverage for adults aged 19 to 64, including parents and other caregivers.
What it is
Indiana's health coverage for adults aged 19 to 64, including parents and other caregivers.
A change in pay can change your own coverage options as well as your child's. The Healthy Indiana Plan uses current monthly income. You can be an applicant on the same Indiana benefits application.
Eligibility rules
- You must live in Indiana and be aged 19 through 64.
- From March 1, 2026, the adult base line is 133% of poverty: $3,658 monthly for four people.
- Current monthly income matters. A yearly amount divided by 12 is an estimate.
- From March 2026 the adult line is about $2,489 a month for two people, $3,142 for three, $3,795 for four and $4,449 for five. The state's printed base table is a little lower and it adds a five-point allowance when that changes the answer.
What you get
- Hospital, doctor and prescription coverage for an eligible adult.
- One application can check both parent and child coverage.
What the help includes
- There is currently no monthly contribution and no copay; the plan will send a notice if that changes. HIP Plus includes dental and vision.
If you decide to apply
- Ask the hospital financial counselor to include you as an applicant if you want your own coverage reviewed.
- Have current pay and insurance records ready, including any recent change in hours.
Indiana Division of Family Resources, 800-403-0864 · Official page ↗
After you ask
- The Division of Family Resources decides your own eligibility alongside any child application.
- Ordinary HIP cannot start before the first day of the application month. HIP Maternity can consider up to three prior months when its rules are met. DFR and the health plan confirm the actual effective date during the payment pause before you rely on coverage for a bill.
Good to know
Your child's line is higher than yours, so your child can be in while you are out. Add yourself to the application and the state checks you on the adult line.
Other details
- For a relative or foster caregiver, HIP uses the adult's own age, income and household. The child's relationship label does not decide the adult's eligibility.
- Indiana has announced HIP work rules from January 1, 2027. Exemptions include caring for a dependent child aged 13 or younger and caring for a person with a disability. DFR decides the exemption and evidence required. Nonexempt members generally need 80 hours of qualifying monthly activity or another listed pathway. January applicants may need October–December 2026 records; the dated agency notice controls.
Official sources
“Could the Healthy Indiana Plan cover me while I care for my child? What costs or other drawbacks should I understand, and could you help include me on the application if it fits?”
Why I’m asking: I want to keep my own care covered if treatment changes our work or income.
More background and detailed requirements
Additional program information and published rules
Who does what
The three parts, side by side. The agency decides; nobody on this page does.
You
Add yourself to the child's application and report this month's income.
Your social worker
The hospital financial counsellor can file both at once.
The care team
Nothing.
- Who decides
- The Division of Family Resources.
- Ask your social worker
- “Can you add me as an applicant on my child's Indiana application? My hours have changed and I have no coverage of my own.”
How to apply
First step: Add yourself as an applicant on the same Indiana form as your child, at fssabenefits.in.gov.
- Tick the parent as an applicant on the same form as the child.
- If a paycheque has stopped, report this month's income, not last year's.
Official application / program page ↗
Where it starts: Apply on the same Indiana application as the child, at fssabenefits.in.gov or on 800-403-0864.
What to gather
- This month's pay for everyone in the tax household
- Indiana address
- Any insurance cards
How long: The same 45-day standard as the rest of the application.
What a yes looks like
A notice with coverage dates and a health plan choice for you as well as the child.
What a no looks like, and the next move
If income is the reason, ask about the federal Marketplace, which has a 60-day window after a coverage loss.
Watch out
- It is judged on this month, so a paycheque that has just stopped counts now, not next year.
- HIP work requirements are announced for January 1, 2027. Care of a dependent child aged 13 or younger and care of a person with a disability are separate possible exemptions; DFR confirms the evidence.
Dates that change this
2027-01-01: From January 1, 2027 Indiana enforces work rules for adults in this programme. Published exemptions include a parent or carer of a child aged 13 or younger and a carer of a person with a disability.
The numbers and the rules
The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 11, 2026.
What it is worth
Adult coverage at or under $3,658 a month for four people, published March 1, 2026.
- $3,658/month — Household of 4, published base line (133 per cent)
- $3,795.5/month — Household of 4, published final income-guide cell
Covers: Doctor and hospital care for the parent · Prescriptions · Mental health care
Legal protection: Published work-rule exemptions include a parent or carer of a child aged 13 or younger and a carer of a person with a disability
What it costs the family: Contribution rules were not re-verified in this pass; ask the caseworker.
The eligibility facts, as published
- Age
- 19 to 64
- Income
- 133 per cent of the poverty line base, $3,658 a month for four people, effective March 1, 2026
- Residency
- Indiana
The trap: Indiana begins enforcing work rules on January 1, 2027, but the published exemptions include a parent or carer of a child aged 13 or younger and a carer of a person with a disability. Stopping work to care for your child should not be treated as disqualifying without asking.
Where I read this
- Medicaid Policy Manual, Chapter 3000 — Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, read September 10, 2026
- Medicaid Eligibility Guide — Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, read September 10, 2026
- Healthy Indiana Plan — Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, read September 10, 2026
- Healthy Indiana Plan work requirements — Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, read September 10, 2026