RIte Care is Rhode Island’s Medicaid managed care program that provides families on the Family Independence Program and eligible uninsured pregnant women, parents, and children up to age 19 with comprehensive health insurance coverage.
- Families who are eligible for or receiving cash assistance from Family Independence Program (or TANF), are eligible for RIte Care.
Parents should know that when you get a job and your TANF and/or Low Income Families Medicaid benefits end, your family generally could stay on Medicaid for an 18-month transitional period.
In addition, your children may qualify for RIte Care if your family’s income meets certain income standards.
In addition, you may be eligible for RIte Care if you are an infant, a child, pregnant, or a parent of a child and your family income meets the Medicaid income standards.
Income eligibility levels for these categories are described below. You should contact the Rhode Island Department of Human Services for more information.
Low income persons eligible for RIte Care in Rhode Island*
Category Income eligibility (as percent of federal poverty level)
Infant 250%
Child 1-19 250%
Pregnant woman 250%
Non-Working Parents 185%
Working Parents 192%
Medically needy
Individual 87%
Couple 69%
* Eligibility information was compiled from State Health Facts Online, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and may have changed since this guide was published. Contact your state Medicaid program for the most up to date information and for other eligibility requirements that may apply.
To get an idea of how your income compares to the federal poverty level, use the federal poverty guideline issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for the year 2006:
Size of Family Unit Poverty Guideline (annual income)
1 $ 9,800
2 $13,200
3 $16,600-For larger families add $3,400 for each additional person
-So, for example, using this guideline, 250% of the federal poverty level for a family of 3 would be an annual income of $41,500, or a monthly income of $3,458.
-Contact your state Medicaid program for the most up to date information and for other eligibility requirements that may apply.
- Families receive most of their health care through one of three participating health plans: Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island, United Healthcare of New England and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island. Qualified families can choose to enroll from one of these three options.
- RIte Care coverage is free to families with incomes up to 150% of the federal poverty level, and is available to other eligible families with higher income for a small premium. Depending on their income, families pay between $61 and $92 per month.
