Arizona Medicaid Office

Arizona Medicaid office (AHCCCS)

Arizona runs its Medicaid program under the name AHCCCS — the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (pronounced "access"). The agency's central office sits at 150 N. 18th Avenue in Phoenix, and a single main line, 602-417-4000, routes general administrative questions. Members and applicants reach a separate line.

How to reach AHCCCS

• Members and applicants — Health-e-Arizona Plus at healthearizonaplus.gov or 1-855-432-7587 (1-855-HEA-PLUS), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Arizona time.
• General administration — 602-417-4000, toll-free 1-800-654-8713.
• AZ Relay (hearing or speech impaired) — 1-800-842-6520.
• Escalate a complaint past your health plan — AHCCCS Clinical Resolution Unit at 602-364-4558 or 1-800-867-5808.
• Report suspected fraud — member fraud 602-417-4193; provider fraud 602-417-4045.

AHCCCS does not run county walk-in offices. Day-to-day enrollment is handled by the Department of Economic Security (DES) Family Assistance Office network and by community partners using Health-e-Arizona Plus. ALTCS, the long-term-care arm of AHCCCS, runs its own field offices — call 1-888-621-6880 for the nearest one.

Who qualifies for AHCCCS?

AHCCCS determines eligibility month by month. A household can qualify one month and not the next if income or household size changes. Coverage cannot start before the day a person moves to Arizona, the day someone is released from a detention facility, or the date a newborn is born — those dates cap retroactive eligibility.

How long does an AHCCCS decision take?

The processing clock starts the day after the application is filed and stops the day the decision letter is mailed.

Renewals run every 12 months

About 60 days before the 12th month, AHCCCS pulls electronic data from federal and state sources and tries to renew coverage without contacting the household. That's a "No Response Renewal." If the data doesn't confirm eligibility, the household receives a pre-populated renewal packet and must respond by the due date or coverage stops.

Guaranteed enrollment after a denial

Most members who lose AHCCCS keep coverage through a guaranteed enrollment period. Adults newly enrolled in an AHCCCS Complete Care (ACC) health plan get six guaranteed months. Members under 19 get 12 months. The guarantee ends earlier only for specific reasons — death, moving out of state, turning 19, incarceration, or voluntary withdrawal. Medicare Savings Program members do not receive guaranteed periods.

Reporting changes

Report income, address, or household changes the same way you applied: Health-e-Arizona Plus at 1-855-432-7587 for most households, 602-417-5010 (Maricopa County) or 1-800-528-0142 (outside Maricopa) for SSI MAO, and 1-800-772-1213 for SSI Cash through the Social Security Administration.

AHCCCS income limits (effective February 2026)

The income limits below come from the AHCCCS Eligibility Requirements chart, revised effective February 1, 2026. Dollar figures change every January when the federal poverty level (FPL) updates — verify before relying on a specific number.

Children

KidsCare charges a monthly premium between $10 and $70 per household, and one premium covers every eligible child. Children of Arizona state employees are excluded by statute. Anyone Medicaid-eligible must enroll in Medicaid, not KidsCare.

Pregnant women and adults

Older adults, blind, or disabled

ALTCS uses an estate recovery program for services received after age 55. When an ALTCS applicant has a spouse living in the community, AHCCCS may disregard between $32,532 and $162,660 of the couple's combined resources — a federal community-spouse rule that prevents the at-home spouse from being impoverished.

Medicare Savings Programs (MSP)

How to apply for AHCCCS

One application covers AHCCCS Medical Assistance, KidsCare, Nutrition Assistance, and TANF Cash Assistance. Most applicants use Health-e-Arizona Plus (HEAplus), the online portal shared by AHCCCS and DES. ALTCS and SSI MAO use separate paths.

Apply online through Health-e-Arizona Plus

healthearizonaplus.gov accepts applications in English and Spanish. You can apply for yourself, your family, or someone else. Call 1-855-432-7587 (1-855-HEA-PLUS) for phone help.

Apply with a Community Assistor

Over 150 community partner organizations across Arizona — clinics, hospitals, school districts, tribal programs — are trained to submit HEAplus applications on a household's behalf. There's no fee. AHCCCS maintains a searchable map of nearby assistors.

Apply on paper

Paper applications work for households that can't use the portal. Two main forms exist:

• FAA-0001A — Application for Benefits, used for adults without children, pregnant women, families with children, and child-only applications. Available from the DES Application page.
• DE-103 — Medicare Cost Sharing and AHCCCS Health Insurance Application, used for applicants age 65+, blind or disabled, Freedom to Work applicants, and Medicare-only help. Available from AHCCCS Publications.

Apply for ALTCS (long-term care)

ALTCS — the Arizona Long Term Care System — covers nursing facility care, in-home services, hospice, and assisted living for residents who require a skilled level of care. Most ALTCS members live in their own homes or in an assisted living facility, not a nursing home.

Register an ALTCS application through Health-e-Arizona Plus, call 1-888-621-6880, or fax 1-888-507-3313. Every ALTCS applicant completes both a financial interview and a medical interview before a decision.

If you're waiting on a decision

Applicants who need behavioral health treatment during processing — or who do not qualify for AHCCCS at all — can still access drug, alcohol, and mental health treatment through Arizona's Regional Behavioral Health Authorities: Central Arizona at 800-564-5465, Northern Arizona at 888-788-4408, Southern Arizona at 866-495-6738.

What AHCCCS covers

AHCCCS contracts with managed-care health plans, called AHCCCS Complete Care (ACC) plans for most members. The plan you pick depends on your ZIP code. Once enrolled, members choose a primary care doctor inside that plan's network — that doctor authorizes most non-emergency care and refers out to specialists.

Core medical benefits for every AHCCCS member

• Doctor's office visits, specialist care, hospital services, and emergency care
• Lab work, X-rays, immunizations, and prescriptions (prescriptions are not covered when the member has Medicare)
• Pregnancy care, family planning, and behavioral health services
• Surgery, dialysis, physical exams, chiropractic and podiatry services
• Transportation to medical appointments
• Emergency dental for adults age 21 and older, capped at $1,000 per contract year
• Adult speech therapy and cochlear implants

Extra services for children under 21 (EPSDT)

Children under 21 enrolled in AHCCCS receive Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment benefits — a federal Medicaid mandate that goes well beyond what adult Medicaid covers. EPSDT pays for vision exams, eyeglasses (including replacements), hearing exams, hearing aids, and routine dental screenings and treatment that adult Medicaid in Arizona does not cover.

Behavioral health

Behavioral health services are integrated into every AHCCCS plan. Covered services include outpatient counseling, crisis services (mobile teams and 24/7 telephone response), inpatient psychiatric care, residential behavioral health, substance use treatment, supported employment, and peer support. AHCCCS members can also access the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

Long-term care benefits (ALTCS)

Members who qualify for ALTCS receive everything above plus nursing facility care, hospice, attendant care, assisted living, adult day health services, home health (nursing, aide, therapy), home-delivered meals, and dental services up to $1,000 per contract year.

ALTCS members living at home can choose member-directed care models. Agency with Choice lets the member share employer responsibilities with a contracted provider agency. Self Directed Attendant Care (SDAC), available since 2008, lets the member or their legal guardian act as the legal employer of the paid caregiver, with a Fiscal Employer Agent handling payroll and taxes.

Other state Medicaid pages