The 2024 Covered California income table has been updated with the January federal poverty income levels (FPL). The significant difference is for families entering Covered California in 2024, they will need to have higher incomes for adults and children to be eligible for the Advance Premium Tax Credit subsidies.
Higher Medi-Cal Income Levels on Covered California Income Table
For consumers who enrolled into a Covered California health plan during 2024 Open Enrollment, November through January, their eligibility was based on the 2024 Open enrollment income table published in October 2023. Those households do not have to worry about meeting the higher income levels if they make no changes to their accounts during the year. All new applications in 2024 will be compared to the higher income levels related to Medi-Cal eligibility.
The federal poverty income level increased 3 percent for 2024. Covered California must increase the income levels associated with Medi-Cal eligibility on their income table. Covered California uses the annual income to determine the Advance Premium Tax Credit health insurance subsidies. However, they, like Medi-Cal, uses the household’s monthly income for eligibility for MAGI Medi-Cal program eligibility.
Annual plus Monthly Income 2024 Income Table
Consequently, I have created this income table that has the monthly income numbers for Medi-Cal eligibility next to the 2024 annual income amounts for the Covered California subsidies.The Medi-Cal income columns of the Covered California income table are 138% FPL for adults, 213% FPL for pregnant women, 266% FPL for children 18 years and younger, and 322% FPL for children in certain counties of California.
For a single adult, the annual income must be greater than $20,783 to get the Covered California subsidies. More importantly, if the month in which you apply, your income is lower than $1,732, you would be determined Medi-Cal eligible.
Adults and Pregnant Women
For a household of 4, in the 138% column, if the monthly income is under $3,588 the entire household is Medi-Cal: adults and children. If the household of 4 had one adult who was pregnant and the income was under $5,538 (213% column), the pregnant individual would be Medi-Cal eligible. If there was another adult in the household and the income was greater than $3,588, that adult would be eligible for the Covered California subsidies.
Children Medi-Cal Income Eligibility in Covered California
In most of California, the household income must be greater than 266% of the federal poverty level for children 18 years old and younger to be eligible for a private health plan with the subsidies. For example, for a household of 4, the monthly income must be greater than $6,916 for the children to be subsidy eligible. It does not matter if it is one adult and three children or three adults and one child, if the monthly income is under $6,916, the children would be determined Medi-Cal eligible.
The column of 322% applies to the C-CHIP program in the counties of Santa Clara, San Mateo, and San Francisco. In those counties, the household can be up to 322% of the federal poverty level and the children can be a no cost Medi-Cal HMO plan.
The updated 2024 income table will hold through 2024 and the 2025 open enrollment period. If your income is below the higher annual and monthly incomes for 2024 at the time of the automatic renewal for 2025, you and your dependents may be determined Medi-Cal if you don’t increase your income before the passive renewal that happens in November.
2024 March Covered California Income Table
Covered California income table updated with the current 2024 federal poverty levels for Medi-Cal eligibility
