How do you apply for health insurance on HealthCare.gov?

Applying for Medicaid coverage on Healthcare.gov involves going to the website, checking the eligibility of the applicant, checking the Medicaid status of the applicant's state and then applying through the links provided on the website. The eligibility of an applicant to get coverage may depend on whether or not his home state has expanded its Medicaid program, according to the Healthcare.gov website. Low-income applicants from states with an expanded Medicaid program can qualify for coverage based only on income and family size.

Medicaid was expanded through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which President Barack Obama signed into law on March 23, 2010. The law improves the accessibility and affordability of health insurance coverage for 44 million uninsured Americans, according to the Obamacare Facts website.

The following shows one way of applying for insurance coverage via the Healthcare.gov website.

1. Go to the website

Use a Web browser to go the Healthcare.gov website.

2. Go to the Medicaid & CHIP page

Mouse over the Get Answers option on the menu bar and click on Medicaid & CHIP on the submenu.

3. Select the eligibility checker tool

Click on "Find out if you qualify for Medicaid & CHIP" on the left menu panel.

4. Use the eligibility checker

Use the eligibility checker tool by clicking on the Get Started button on the page.

5. Select the state and apply

On the same "Find out if you qualify..." page, scroll down and select the state on the Medicaid status checker. Click on the links provided along with the Medicaid status information of the state to apply for insurance coverage.