Written by a parent, not a doctor. Nothing here is medical advice.

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Maryland program

Medical Assistance for yourself, the parent

Free Medical Assistance for you, the parent. Your own health care still matters during your child's treatment.

What it is

Free Medical Assistance for you, the parent. Your own health care still matters during your child's treatment.

Reduced hours can change eligibility for your own coverage. Maryland uses current monthly income, not simply last year's pay. The adult limit is lower than the child's, so each person receives a separate decision.

Eligibility rules
  • This expansion group covers Maryland adults ages 19–64 who are not entitled to or enrolled in Medicare Part A or B.
  • Effective February 1, 2026, the monthly limits are $2,490 for two people, $3,142 for three, $3,795 for four and $4,449 for five.
  • The effective ceiling is 138% of poverty. The state checks your own household and income.
What you get
  • No monthly premium for adult hospital care, clinic visits, medicines and mental health care.
  • One Maryland Health Connection application can include you and your child.
What the help covers
  • Your adult coverage decision is separate from your child's, even when both applications are on one form.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask the hospital financial counselor to include you when reviewing the family's Maryland Health Connection application.
  2. Have current income records ready and explain any recent change in hours or pay.

Maryland Department of Health through Maryland Health Connection · 1-855-642-8572 · Official page ↗

After you apply
  • Maryland Health Connection handles the application for the Department of Health. Its coverage decision establishes whether you qualify.
Good to know

Your child’s approval does not cover you. Each person gets a separate decision, judged on this month’s income.

Other details
  • A yearly income figure divided by 12 can misstate current income after work stops. Maryland Health Connection can also check marketplace options when adult Medical Assistance does not fit.
Official sources
Ask your social worker

“Could I qualify for my own coverage on our child's application? What would change for my doctors or costs, and could you help me compare the options before applying?”

Why I’m asking: I need to keep my own care covered while helping my child through treatment.

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 counselor can file both at once.

The care team

Records and letters when the application asks for them.

Who decides
The Maryland Department of Health, through Maryland Health Connection.
Ask your social worker
“Can you add me to the same application as my child, using this month's income rather than last year's?”

How to apply

First step: Add yourself to the child's Maryland Health Connection application.

  1. Add every adult in the household to the same application.
  2. If a paycheck has just stopped, file the month it stops.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: Add the adult to the same Maryland Health Connection application as the child.

What to gather

  • This month's pay stubs for every adult
  • Maryland address

How long: 10 days at a local health department, 30 days at the Department or another designee.

What a yes looks like

Coverage dates and a HealthChoice plan choice for the adult as well as the child.

What a no looks like, and the next move

If income is the reason, ask about Maryland Health Connection and whether a tax credit applies.

Watch out

  • The published column is already the effective line. Do not add five more points to it.
  • A parent who has just stopped work should file that month, not wait.

Dates that change this

2027-01-01: From January 2027 some adults aged 19 to 64 will have to meet new federal work and renewal requirements to keep coverage. The state has not published the individual effective dates.

The numbers and the rules

The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 11, 2026.

What it is worth

Full adult coverage with no premium. The published monthly limits are $2,490 for two people, $3,142 for three, $3,795 for four and $4,449 for five, effective February 1, 2026.

  • $2,490/month — Adult Medical Assistance monthly ceiling, household of 2
  • $3,142/month — Adult Medical Assistance monthly ceiling, household of 3
  • $3,795/month — Adult Medical Assistance monthly ceiling, household of 4
  • $4,449/month — Adult Medical Assistance monthly ceiling, household of 5

Covers: Hospital, clinic, prescriptions, mental health care for the adult

What it costs the family: No premium.

The eligibility facts, as published

Age
19 to 64, not entitled to or enrolled in Medicare Part A or B
Income
138% FPL effective ceiling (rule base 133% plus the conditional 5 points)
Residency
Maryland

The trap: Ask for the adult on the same application as the child, not in a second one. Do not wait for a tax year to end: the decision is on this month's income.

Where I read this

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