No insurance in Philadelphia? Pennsylvania expanded Medicaid — you may actually qualify

Not a government agency. Applying is always free at the official sites.

If someone told you “adults can’t get Medicaid,” they were probably thinking of a different state. Pennsylvania expanded Medicaid — called Medical Assistance (MA) — in 2015. In Philadelphia, a low-income adult with no children, no disability, and a part-time job can qualify. Roughly 640,000 Philadelphians are on Medical Assistance. Here is who qualifies and how to apply.

Who qualifies (January 2026 guidelines)

Medical Assistance is income-based, and the dollar limit depends on who you are:

• Adults 19–64 (the expansion group): up to $22,025 a year for one person, $45,540 for a family of four. No asset test.
• Pregnant people: up to 215% of the federal poverty level — higher than the adult limit.
• Children: up to 157% of poverty for ages 1–5 and 133% for ages 6–18 through Medical Assistance — and if your income is over that, CHIP takes over: Free CHIP to 208% of poverty, Low-Cost CHIP to 314%, and Full-Cost CHIP with no upper income limit. There is no income at which an uninsured Pennsylvania child has no option.
• Seniors and people with disabilities have their own categories (including Medicare Savings Programs that pay your Part B premium, and MA for Workers with Disabilities up to 250% of poverty). The COMPASS application checks them all at once.

Care in Philadelphia runs through HealthChoices plans — Keystone First, Jefferson Health Plans, UPMC for You, Geisinger, and UnitedHealthcare Community Plan. You pick a plan after you’re approved; the application itself is the same either way.

How to apply — step by step

1. Go to COMPASS (compass.state.pa.us) and start a benefits application. One application covers Medical Assistance, SNAP, Cash Assistance, and LIHEAP — apply for everything at once.
2. Answer for your whole household — who lives and eats with you, income, and any coverage you have now.
3. Upload what you have — ID and income proof. Don’t wait on a missing document to submit.
4. Watch for the decision and renewal notices and answer them. From January 1, 2027, Medical Assistance renewals move to every six months and work requirements begin for the expansion group — the fastest way to lose coverage you qualify for is a renewal form that never gets returned.

Prefer a person? Apply at a County Assistance Office, by phone at 1-866-550-4355, or with free help from BenePhilly (800-994-5537) — they will sit with you and do the paperwork side by side.

Not eligible for MA? Your other doors

• Pennie (pennie.com) is Pennsylvania’s own health insurance marketplace — not HealthCare.gov — and the only place to get premium tax credits. Open enrollment for 2027 runs November 1, 2026 – January 15, 2027 (enroll by December 15 for January 1 coverage). Only Pennie-certified brokers and registered assisters can help you enroll — that help is free, and anyone charging to “get you Medicaid” is a red flag.
• Community health centers (FQHCs like Esperanza Health Center, PHMC, and Delaware Valley Community Health) charge on a sliding scale based on income and see you whether or not you have coverage.
• 65 or on Medicare? Ask about PACE and PACENET for prescriptions — Pennsylvania’s pharmacy help for seniors (PACE covers single incomes up to $14,500, PACENET up to $33,500) — and let a free PA MEDI counselor (through the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging, 215-765-9040) check whether a Medicare Savings Program should be paying your Part B premium.

One warning about dates

Medical Assistance for noncitizens changed on October 1, 2026, and federal work requirements and six-month renewals start January 1, 2027. If you read a guide that doesn’t mention those dates, it’s out of date. This post was checked against PA DHS in October 2026, and the Medical Assistance guide is where we keep the current rules.

Run the checker and we’ll screen Medical Assistance, CHIP, SNAP, LIHEAP, and the utility programs from the same two minutes of answers — free, and an estimate only: the County Assistance Office makes the real decision.