HEALTH COVERAGE
Free Louisiana Medicaid Until Age 26 for Former Foster Youth
If you are under 26, live in Louisiana, and were in foster care on your 18th birthday or later, you may qualify for Louisiana Medicaid health coverage regardless of income.
IMPORTANT: You may qualify for free health coverage until your 26th birthday.
Do you qualify?
Are you under 26 years old?
Do you live in Louisiana now?
Were you in foster care on your 18th birthday or later?
Check your ZIP code
Enter your ZIP code to confirm this is the right program for where you live.
Before you apply
- Have your date of birth and a Louisiana address ready.
- Bring anything showing you were in foster care at 18 or older — a court letter, a case number, or a caseworker’s contact. Missing paperwork should not stop you from applying.
- Apply online through Louisiana Medicaid, or by phone, mail, or in person. Say that you were in foster care at age 18 or older and name the state you were in foster care in. Youth who leave Louisiana foster care at 18 or older are usually continued automatically until 26 — it is still worth checking that your coverage is active.
- Watch your mail and phone for follow-up questions.
This checklist is for guidance only. Help Foster Youth is a directory — we do not decide eligibility or process applications. Your state agency is always the final word.