How to Apply for Louisiana Medicaid
Updated August 2026
Here's how to apply for Louisiana Medicaid, what documents you'll need, and what happens after you submit your application.
How to apply for Healthy Louisiana
- Online via the Medicaid Self-Service Portal: Apply at the LDH Medicaid Self-Service Portal (sspweb.lameds.ldh.la.gov/selfservice), also known as MyMedicaid.la.gov. You can apply for benefits, check your application status, report household changes, and renew coverage online.
- Online via LDH: Apply directly through the Louisiana Department of Health at ldh.la.gov/medicaid. This route is for Medicaid-specific applications and connects directly to the Bureau of Health Services Financing.
- Local Medicaid office or Application Center: Apply in person at your local LDH Medicaid office or any statewide Medicaid Application Center. Find your local office at ldh.la.gov.
- By phone: Call Medicaid Customer Service at 1-888-342-6207 to reach an LDH representative. Staff can assist you through the application process and explain eligibility requirements for your household.
Documents you'll likely need
- Proof of identity — state ID, driver's license, passport, or birth certificate
- Social Security number for each household member applying
- Proof of Louisiana residency — utility bill, lease agreement, or mail at current address
- Income documentation — recent pay stubs (30 days), employer letter, or most recent federal tax return
- Self-employment income — Schedule C and profit/loss statement
- Immigration documents for non-citizen qualified noncitizens
- Pregnancy verification if applying as a pregnant woman
- Disability documentation if applicable (SSA determination, physician statement)
After you apply
Standard Medicaid applications are processed within 45 days. Once approved, you will receive a notice from LDH identifying your eligibility category and your MCO assignment or enrollment instructions.
If you are assigned to a managed care MCO (Aetna Better Health, AmeriHealth Caritas, Healthy Blue, Humana Healthy Horizons in Louisiana, or Louisiana Healthcare Connections), you may be able to choose your plan or change it within 90 days without reason. After that, you can typically switch annually or with qualifying cause.
If you applied through healthcare.gov and were determined eligible for Medicaid, your application is automatically referred to LDH. You do not need to reapply through a separate Louisiana portal.
Applying for long-term care services
If you need nursing facility care or home and community-based waiver services, the financial application goes through DCFS, but a clinical level-of-care assessment is also required. Contact LDH or DCFS to understand the specific steps for long-term care applications in Louisiana. PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) sites are available in some Louisiana parishes for seniors who qualify.
Louisiana Medicaid
Visit the official Louisiana Medicaid websiteRelated guides
How to Apply
A step-by-step walkthrough of the application process and what you'll need.
Read more →Eligibility Requirements
The income, household, age, and state rules that determine who qualifies.
Read more →Approval Time
Federal processing deadlines and what affects your approval timeline.
Read more →