The BasicsIs It Right for You?What It CoversWhat You PayHow to Sign UpFAQsPitfallsNext Steps

Disability-Based NC Medicaid

Try It

    updated April 30, 2025
    Disability-Based NC Medicaid

    The Basics

    NC Medicaid is a public program that helps pay medical expenses for people with low income. How you may qualify depends on your family’s situation, including things like whether you have a disability, how much income you have, whether you are pregnant, or if you are a child.

    Disability-based NC Medicaid is one way for people with disabilities to qualify for NC Medicaid. It is not the only way that a person with a disability can qualify for NC Medicaid, but if you have been determined disabled by the Social Security Administration (SSA) or by NC Medicaid, disability-based NC Medicaid may help you for three main reasons:

    • It may let you get NC Medicaid even if you make more money than the income-based NC Medicaid income limit.
    • It may let you get NC Medicaid and Medicare at the same time.
    • It may cover extra services that income-based NC Medicaid does not cover, if you meet additional requirements.
    Other ways to qualify for NC Medicaid

    Disability-based NC Medicaid is not the only way to qualify for NC Medicaid. Most people who get NC Medicaid qualify by other rules. You or other members of your family may qualify under those other rules, even if you don’t qualify under the disability-based rules. Learn more about another common way to qualify in DB101’s income-based NC Medicaid article.

    If you have a disability and work, you should also look into Health Coverage for Workers with Disabilities (HCWD), which lets you keep your NC Medicaid coverage no matter how much money you make at work. Learn more in DB101's HCWD article.

    This article is about disability-based NC Medicaid and will help you understand:

    • If it is right for you
    • Other ways you may qualify for NC Medicaid
    • What services it covers
    • How much you will have to pay, and
    • How to sign up.

    If, after reading this article, you need more help in understanding disability-based NC Medicaid, we recommend you talk to trained experts who can help you. Here are some good resources:

    Highlights
    • Disability-based NC Medicaid doesn't count all of your earned income, so it may be an option if your income is too high for income-based NC Medicaid.
    • You can get NC Medicaid and Medicare at the same time, if you qualify. If you have both, NC Medicaid will help pay your Part B premium.
    • Disability-based NC Medicaid covers some extra services through waiver programs for people who qualify.
    • If your earned income goes up, you can switch to Health Coverage for Workers with Disabilities (HCWD), which has no limit on earned income.
    • If your resources increase so much that you no longer qualify for disability-based NC Medicaid, you may be able to qualify for income-based NC Medicaid, which has no resource limit, or HCWD, which has a much higher resource limit.
    • If your disability does not qualify you for NC Medicaid, you may be able to qualify for income-based NC Medicaid, which has no disability requirement.

    Note: DB101 keeps track of changes to health coverage and related laws. DB101 has been and will continue to be updated to reflect any changes. Visit KFF for news related to health coverage.


    Learn more

    Health Coverage for Workers with Disabilities (HCWD)

    HCWD is NC Medicaid for people with disabilities who work.

    Buying Health Coverage on HealthCare.gov

    You can get private health coverage on HealthCare.gov. The government may help you pay for it.