How to Reach Your State Medicaid Office — and What to Call the Program
● ACTIVE ALL 50 STATES + DC
There is no national Medicaid phone number. There is no national Medicaid office. Fifty-one separate agencies run the program, and each one named it whatever it wanted.
That is why searching "Medicaid office" often returns nothing useful for your area. In California the program is called Medi-Cal. In Arizona it is AHCCCS. In Washington it is Apple Health. Search the wrong word and you get somebody else's state.
The federal government keeps one directory listing all of them. Start there, not with a search engine.
Every Medicaid and Medicare Savings Program application goes through a state agency. This page shows you how to find yours, what your state calls the program, and what to say when you get through.
Find your office
Three official directories. Any of them will get you there.
The CMS directory lists separate numbers for eligibility, billing, and general questions. Page checked 2026-07-31.
If you fill out an application on HealthCare.gov and appear to qualify for Medicaid, the site forwards your information to your state agency automatically. That is a second route in when the phone lines are busy.
What your state calls the Medicare Savings Program
This is separate from what your state calls Medicaid, and it trips people up more often. You can be talking to the right office and still be told the program does not exist, because you used a different name.
| State | Say this instead |
|---|---|
| Nebraska | QMB — but there it means what other states call SLMB and QI |
| Oregon | SMB and SMF |
| North Carolina | MQB, MQB-B, MQB-E |
| Connecticut | QI is called ALMB |
| Maryland | QI is called SLMB II |
| New Hampshire | QI is called SLMB-135 |
| Alaska | QI is called SLMB Plus |
| Wisconsin | QI is called SLMB Plus |
| Maine | SLMB and QI are grouped together |
| New York | SLMB does not exist — ask about QMB |
| District of Columbia | QMB only, at an expanded income level |
→ swipe the table sideways · Source: National Council on Aging, MSP Eligibility and Coverage 2026
Everywhere else, the federal names work: QMB, SLMB, QI, and QDWI.
Before you call
State lines are busy. Being sent back to the queue because you are missing one number wastes an afternoon.
- Your Medicare number, if you have one
- Social Security number for everyone in the household applying
- Last month's income — pay stubs, Social Security award letter, pension statement
- Bank balances, if your state has an asset test
- Proof of address
- Pen and paper for the worker's name and a reference number
What to say
Be specific. Vague requests get vague answers.
"I have Medicare and a low income. I want to apply for the Medicare Savings Program — QMB if I qualify, and SLMB or QI if I don't. Can you take the application over the phone, or should I apply online?"
Asking for QMB by name matters. It is the level that covers deductibles and copays, not just the premium. If you only say "help with Medicare," you may be enrolled at a lower level without being told a better one existed.
Traps
Social Security cannot do this for you. People call 1-800-772-1213 because Medicare feels like a Social Security matter. It is not. Medicare Savings Programs are run by your state. Social Security handles Extra Help for drug costs — a different program.
Some states take applications at the county, not the state. California is one. If the state line tells you to contact your county, that is not a brush-off — it is how the state is organized. Ask for the county office covering your address.
Write down who you spoke to. Name, date, and what they told you. If the answer turns out to be wrong — and it sometimes is — that note is the difference between a correction and starting over.
If you moved, apply in the state where you live now. Medicaid does not transfer across state lines. Coverage in your old state has to end and a new application has to be filed. Do not assume a gap-free handoff.
Free counseling exists in every state. The State Health Insurance Assistance Program has trained counselors who sell nothing. If the agency line is hopeless, call them instead. They know your state's rules and its vocabulary.
Related programs
State guideMedicare Savings Programs in California→ If you are in CaliforniaHow to apply through your county→Tools you'll need anyway
Every one of these is free. No state charges to take an application, and nobody legitimate charges to file one for you.
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services — Contact directory for state Medicaid agencies.
- HealthCare.gov — Medicaid and CHIP program names by state.
- National Council on Aging — Medicare Savings Programs: Eligibility and Coverage (2026), for state naming variations.
Agency names, phone numbers, and program names change. Confirm through the CMS directory linked above. Benefit Almanac is not a government agency and cannot apply on your behalf.
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