Where this sits: Benefits › Programs › Medical Assistance. Related: MinnesotaCare, SNAP, MFIP.
Ask first
For the 2027 work requirements: does the person have MA because of a disability? Do children under 19 live with them? Are they pregnant? Are they American Indian or Alaska Native, a caregiver for someone disabled, or in addiction treatment? Are they on SNAP or MFIP and following those work rules? About how many hours a month do they work, volunteer or go to school, and what do they earn?
For eligibility in general: age, household, income, pregnancy, disability, and immigration status.
What MA covers
MA is Minnesota's Medicaid and CHIP program. Counties run it under the Department of Human Services. It covers doctor and hospital care, dental, mental health, prescriptions, medical equipment, home health care, medical transportation, nursing home care and long-term services, plus home and community-based "waiver" services. Since 2024-01-01 there are no copays or other cost-sharing.
Who qualifies
A person must be in a covered group and meet its limits, be a citizen or meet immigration rules, and live in Minnesota. Limits as reported by House Research in October 2025:
| Group | Net income limit (% of poverty guidelines) | Asset limit |
|---|---|---|
| Children under 2 | 283% | none |
| Children 2 through 18 | 275% | none |
| Ages 19 and 20 | 133% | none |
| Pregnant people | 278% | none |
| Parents and caretakers | 133% | none, unless on spenddown |
| Adults without children | 133% | none |
| 65 or older, blind, or disabled | 100% | $3,000 for one, $6,000 for two, $200 each additional |
People over the limit can qualify through a spenddown (incurring medical bills down to 133%, or 100% for aged, blind or disabled), except adults without children. Emergency Medical Assistance (EMA) covers emergency care for people who meet MA's rules except immigration status, including undocumented people; most pregnant women who are not lawfully present get regular MA during pregnancy.
How to apply
- Online through MNsure, the preferred route; it checks MA first, then MinnesotaCare, then tax credits.
- On paper with DHS-6696 (MNsure Application for Health Coverage and Help Paying Costs), sent to the county or Tribal agency.
- Households where everyone is 65 or older, blind or disabled, on SSI, applying only for help with Medicare costs, or applying for MA for Employed Persons with Disabilities use DHS-3876 (MHCP Application for Certain Populations).
How it fits with other programs
- Anyone eligible for MA can't get MinnesotaCare or premium tax credits.
- Being on SNAP or MFIP and subject to their work rules exempts a person from MA's work requirements.
Changes under way (federal law P.L. 119-21)
- 2026-10-01, noncitizen adults. Adults 21 and older who are not pregnant now qualify only if they are lawful permanent residents past the five-year wait (or with an exception), Cuban or Haitian entrants, or citizens of the Compact of Free Association countries. Refugees, asylees, Afghan and Ukrainian humanitarian parolees, trafficking victims and battered noncitizens 21 and older lost MA. Lawfully present children under 21, and pregnant people of any status, stay eligible. The change also covers the Medicare Savings Programs and the Minnesota Family Planning Program. DHS said it would mail letters in June 2026 to people affected. For adults who lost MA, DHS points to MinnesotaCare (most pay a premium), with Emergency Medical Assistance for emergencies; see immigration status and benefits.
- 2027-01-01, work requirements. For MA adults 21 to 64 who don't live with their children under 19, aren't pregnant, and don't have MA based on disability (DHS's summary also says people eligible for Medicare are not affected). In a month since their last renewal they must have 80 hours of work, community service, a work program or a mix; or half-time school; or income of at least $580 a month (averaged over six months for seasonal workers). Exemptions include American Indians and Alaska Natives, caregivers of a disabled person, veterans with a total disability rating, people who are medically frail, people on SNAP or MFIP and subject to their work rules, people in addiction treatment, current or recent inmates of a public institution, and people in a facility or away from home for medical care. DHS's Renewal Lookup tool lets people report an expected exemption or activity now. People can lose coverage by missing a notice or deadline, so they should answer every letter.
- 2027-01-01, six-month renewals instead of yearly, for the same adults, except American Indians and Alaska Natives.
- 2028-01-01, less retroactive coverage. MA can now pay bills from up to three months before applying, and Minnesota keeps that through 2027. Then it drops to one month for adults 21 to 64 without dependent children who aren't pregnant or disabled, and two months for everyone else.
Why Minnesota says 21 and "children under 19" while the federal law says 19 and "a child 13 or under": the federal rule applies only to the adult expansion group. This site's reading, not stated by any source, is that Minnesota's 19- and 20-year-olds and parents living with children under 19 are covered under other groups.
Not covered here
MAGI income rules, assets and spenddown in detail, long-term care and waivers, MA for Employed Persons with Disabilities, Medicare Savings Programs, estate recovery, and Emergency Medical Assistance in detail. For how child support counts in MA for people who are aged, blind or disabled, and the assignment of medical support, see child support and benefits. For the rest, MNsure or the county decides.