Delaware Medicaid: Eligibility & How to Apply
Last updated September 27, 2026 · By O.B.
In Delaware, Medicaid is administered by the Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance (DMMA) within the Department of Health and Social Services, providing free or low-cost health coverage to eligible residents.
What is Medicaid in Delaware?
Delaware Medicaid is a joint federal and state program that helps cover medical costs for people with limited income and resources, including children, families, pregnant women, seniors, and people with disabilities.
Who is eligible?
Eligibility depends on your income (compared to the Federal Poverty Level), household size, and category — such as children, pregnant women, parents and caretakers, adults, seniors, and people with disabilities. Many states cover adults under Medicaid expansion. Income limits vary by group, so check the official source below for current thresholds.
Delaware income limits, 2026
These are the Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance's (DMMA) own 2026 countable-income tables, published on its Income Limits page. Figures are monthly unless noted; DMMA also gives the annual figure for the 100% column.
| Category (FPL %) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parents / caretaker relatives (87%) | $1,157 | $1,569 | $1,981 | $2,393 | $2,804 | $3,216 | $3,628 | $4,039 |
| Children age 6–18, and adults (133%) | $1,769 | $2,398 | $3,028 | $3,658 | $4,287 | $4,917 | $5,546 | $6,176 |
| Children age 1–5 (142%) | $1,889 | $2,560 | $3,233 | $3,905 | $4,577 | $5,250 | $5,921 | $6,593 |
| Pregnant women & infants under 1 (212%) | $2,820 | $3,822 | $4,827 | $5,830 | $6,833 | $7,838 | $8,840 | $9,843 |
Annual income at 100% FPL for reference: $15,960 (family of 1) to $55,720 (family of 8) — DMMA's own annual column; the rows above are DMMA's monthly figures, not something we calculated.
DMMA states plainly, for the family, children's, and pregnant-women Medicaid categories above: "DMMA does not look at any of your resources when determining your eligibility for Medicaid" — "You can have a car, bank account, and a home and still qualify." This is DMMA's own description of these categories; Medicaid for aged, blind, or disabled applicants and long-term care generally works differently and is not covered by this page.
Delaware Healthy Children Program (DHCP) — 2026 monthly premium eligibility, 212% FPL
| Family size | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly income limit | $2,820 | $3,824 | $4,827 | $5,830 | $6,833 | $7,838 | $8,840 | $9,843 |
DHCP is DMMA's premium-based coverage for children up to 212% FPL. Note: DMMA's own DHCP table lists $3,824 for a family of two — $2 more than the $3,822 shown in the main table's 212% column for the same family size. Both figures come directly from DMMA's Income Limits page; we have not been able to resolve which is the typo, so we show both as published rather than pick one.
A federal rule may extend the top income tier slightly
Delaware's Healthy Children Program (DHCP, 212% FPL) and the Pregnant Women & Infants category (also 212% FPL) both sit at Delaware's highest published MAGI income standard. Federal rule 42 CFR 435.603(d)(4), extended to CHIP by 42 CFR 457.315(a), requires state Medicaid/CHIP agencies to disregard an amount equal to 5 percentage points of the Federal Poverty Level when testing eligibility for a state's single highest-income MAGI group. Because DHCP and Pregnant Women & Infants tie at 212% FPL, this disregard may extend both groups' effective ceiling above the published dollar figures shown in the tables above.
Worked example (family size 1): the published DHCP/Pregnant Women & Infants monthly limit is $2,820 (212% of the 2026 FPL, $15,960/year). Five percent of the size-1 FPL is $798/year, or $66.50/month (source: 2026 HHS Poverty Guidelines, Federal Register Doc. 2026-00755). Adding that disregard gives an effective monthly ceiling of approximately $2,886.50, about $34,638/year, versus the published $2,820/month ($33,840/year). This is the same federal disregard already disclosed on our Iowa Hawki page; DMMA's own income-limits page does not state whether it is already applied automatically in Delaware's eligibility system.
Source: Delaware Division of Medicaid & Medical Assistance, "Income Limits" (2026 tables) and DHSS, "Delaware Medicaid Eligibility".
What does Medicaid cover?
- Doctor visits and preventive care
- Hospital and emergency services
- Prescription drugs
- Maternity and newborn care
- Mental health and substance use services
- Lab tests and X-rays
How to apply
- Online: Delaware ASSIST
- By phone: 1-866-843-7212
- In person: at a local Delaware office
- Federal Marketplace: HealthCare.gov
Not sure which benefits you qualify for?
Benefit Guardian helps you check eligibility for Medicaid, SNAP, and other programs in minutes.
Check the official program page →What we could not verify
- The exact effective date within 2026 that these tables took effect (DMMA labels them "2026" without a specific start date on the Income Limits page itself).
- Whether the "no resources" rule stated above extends to every family/children's/pregnant-women subcategory, or has exceptions DMMA did not list on that page.
- The $2 difference between DHCP's family-of-two figure and the main table's 212% column for family size two, noted above.
- Whether Delaware's own eligibility system already applies the 5-percentage-point MAGI disregard automatically at the DHCP/Pregnant Women & Infants tier, or whether it requires the applicant to ask about it.
Official source
For the most accurate and current information, visit the official Delaware Medicaid site at dhss.delaware.gov (DMMA) or the federal Medicaid.gov.