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

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Rhode Island program

Help paying a work-plan premium (RIte Share)

Rhode Island can pay an approved work-plan premium for a family with Medicaid, with Medicaid staying behind that plan.

What it is

Rhode Island can pay an approved work-plan premium for a family with Medicaid, with Medicaid staying behind that plan.

RIte Share may reduce the premium coming out of your paycheck while your child keeps Medicaid. The work plan does not need to be active already. The state decides whether the offered coverage saves money and gives comparable benefits.

Eligibility rules
  • Your child must be Medicaid eligible, and the employed person must work at least 30 hours a week.
  • The employer plan must provide comparable benefits and pass a cost-effectiveness test.
  • The monthly family contribution is $61 above 150% through 185% of poverty, $77 above 185% through 200%, and $92 above 200% through 250%.
  • A child may qualify for Medicaid above 250% of poverty, but the published RIte Share contribution table does not give the amount for every child up to Medicaid’s effective 266% ceiling. Ask the RIte Share unit to confirm whether your employer plan qualifies and the exact contribution; do not assume the last listed $92 band or an income-based refusal.
What you get
  • Payment of the approved employer-plan premium, usually to the policyholder each month.
  • Medicaid coverage behind the work plan for eligible gaps.
What this covers
  • The Medicaid wraparound is fee-for-service, even when the child previously used a Medicaid health plan.
  • Prior enrollment in the employer plan or fee-for-service Medicaid is not required.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask the RIte Share unit for the employer verification form.
  2. Complete your part with the employer and bring the plan’s premium and benefit information.
  3. Ask the hospital billing team whether it accepts the Medicaid coverage that would sit behind this plan.

The state RIte Share unit: 401-462-0311 · Official page ↗

After you ask
  • The RIte Share unit reviews the signed employer verification and plan costs.
  • After the employer form, the state still reviews the plan and its cost. The unit and employer should confirm approval, any enrollment deadline, the first reimbursed payroll period and the first payment date in writing. Payments are generally monthly before payroll deductions once arranged; the published rule does not establish automatic reimbursement of every earlier premium.
Good to know

Higher income bands have a monthly family contribution. The amount saved depends on that contribution and the premium approved.

Other details
  • Premium payment does not mean every service under either plan is covered. Both sets of coverage rules still matter.
  • The RIte Share rule active August 17, 2025 has no family contribution through 150% of poverty. It lists monthly family amounts of $61 above 150–185%, $77 above 185–200%, and $92 above 200–250%. Ask the unit to confirm the current income calculation and any amount above the last listed band.

Federal background: Medicaid premium assistance.

Official sources
Ask your social worker

“Could RIte Share lower our work-plan premium, and what contribution or billing changes would come with it? If the savings are worthwhile, could you help with the employer form?”

Why I’m asking: I want to keep useful work coverage without paying more than we need to.

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

Get the employer verification form signed and send it back with the premium figure.

Your social worker

The employer's benefits office signs the form and supplies the plan details.

The care team

Records and letters when the application asks for them.

Who decides
The state RIte Share unit, after the cost-effectiveness test.
Ask HR
“The state may pay our premium through RIte Share. Can you sign the employer verification form?”

How to apply

First step: Call 401-462-0311 and ask for the employer verification form.

  1. Call 401-462-0311 and ask for the employer verification form.
  2. Ask the employer's benefits office to sign it and to give you the premium figure and the plan summary.
  3. Check the oncology team takes the fee-for-service Medicaid that wraps around the employer plan.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: The employer verification form is signed by the employer and by you. Call the unit to start it.

What to gather

The diagnosis letter, the child’s insurance card, and the last two pay stubs cover most applications. The official page lists the rest.

How long: A published decision time was not found. Ask for one when you send the form.

Watch out

  • The employed person has to work 30 or more hours a week.
  • The Medicaid behind the employer plan is fee-for-service, so check the oncology team takes it.
  • A monthly family buy-in applies once income is over 150% of poverty.

The numbers and the rules

The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 10, 2026.

What it is worth

The state pays the employer-plan premium. A family buy-in of $61, $77 or $92 a month applies in the higher income bands.

  • $61/month — Monthly family buy-in, income above 150% and no more than 185% of poverty
  • $77/month — Monthly family buy-in, income above 185% and no more than 200%
  • $92/month — Monthly family buy-in, income above 200% and no more than 250%

Covers: Payment of the approved employer-plan premium · Medicaid behind the employer plan for what it does not cover

What it costs the family: A monthly family buy-in of $61, $77 or $92 applies in the higher bands. Below 150% of poverty no fee is stated.

The eligibility facts, as published

Income
the child must be Medicaid eligible; the buy-in bands run from 150% to 250% of poverty
Employment
the employed person works 30 or more hours a week
Plan test
the employer coverage must give comparable benefits and pass a cost-effectiveness test

The trap: You do not have to be enrolled in the employer plan already, and you do not have to have been on fee-for-service Medicaid first. The Medicaid that wraps around the employer plan is fee-for-service, so check the oncology team takes it.

Where I read this

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