Medicare Savings Programs 2026: Who Pays Your Part B Premium

What These Programs Actually Do

Medicare Savings Programs pay your Medicare Part B premium. In 2026 that premium is $202.90 a month, deducted from your Social Security payment before it reaches you.

If you qualify, that deduction stops. Your Social Security payment goes up by the full amount, every month, permanently.

The most generous version goes further and covers your deductibles, coinsurance and copayments as well.

These are not obscure programs. They are federal, they run in every state, and millions of people who qualify have never applied. Estimates of how many vary, but every serious analysis puts the number in the millions.

The Four Programs

There are four, and they sit in income bands. You apply once and your state works out which one fits.

QMB — Qualified Medicare Beneficiary

The most generous. QMB pays your Part B premium, your Part A premium if you have one, and your deductibles, coinsurance and copayments.

It also carries a protection most people do not know exists. Medicare providers are not permitted to bill a QMB enrollee for Medicare-covered deductibles, coinsurance or copays. If you get a bill anyway, that is a billing error, and you can challenge it.

For someone with a hospital stay and a few specialist visits in a year, QMB can be worth thousands beyond the premium alone.

SLMB — Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary

Pays the Part B premium and nothing else. No deductible help, no balance-billing protection. But that is still $202.90 a month back in your pocket.

QI — Qualifying Individual

Also pays the Part B premium only. Same benefit as SLMB, higher income limit.

QI has two catches worth knowing. It is funded from a limited annual pot and granted first come, first served, so applying early in the year matters. And you must reapply every year. Qualifying once does not carry you forward.

You also cannot receive QI if you have full Medicaid.

QDWI — Qualified Disabled and Working Individual

The niche one. It pays the Part A premium for people who lost premium-free Part A because they went back to work after a disability. Much higher income limit, tighter resource limit.

2026 Income Limits

These are the federal baseline monthly figures for one person. They already include the standard $20 income disregard, so they are the effective cutoffs rather than raw income.

Do not rule yourself out on this table alone. Many states use higher limits than the federal baseline, and Alaska and Hawaii are higher again. The federal figures are a floor, not a ceiling.

Resource Limits, and the States That Ignore Them

QMB, SLMB and QI share the same resource limits for 2026: $9,950 for an individual and $14,910 for a couple. Those rose from $9,660 in 2025 and are indexed annually.

Plenty of things do not count toward that total:

• The home you live in
• One vehicle
• Household goods and personal effects
• Burial plots
• Life insurance with a face value under $1,500

So the limit applies to countable assets like checking accounts, savings, stocks and bonds, not to everything you own.

Two exceptions work strongly in your favour.

Some states have eliminated the asset test entirely. Connecticut, Delaware, Louisiana, Maine and Mississippi are among them, and more than a dozen states have now dropped it. In those states only your income is assessed.

California uses far higher limits than the federal figures: $130,000 for an individual and $195,000 for a couple in 2026.

This is the single biggest reason people wrongly assume they do not qualify. They look at a savings balance, compare it to a national figure they read somewhere, and never apply.

Extra Help Comes With It Automatically

This is the part that makes applying worth it even if you are unsure.

Qualifying for any Medicare Savings Program automatically enrolls you in Extra Help, the Part D Low Income Subsidy. Extra Help substantially reduces prescription drug costs, cutting or eliminating your Part D premium, deductible and copays.

You do not apply separately. One application, two programs.

For someone taking several regular medications, Extra Help is often worth more than the premium savings.

How to Apply

Medicare Savings Programs are administered by state Medicaid offices, even though they are not the same thing as full Medicaid. You can be on an MSP without being on Medicaid.

1. Contact your state Medicaid office and ask specifically about Medicare Savings Programs. Use that name. Ask about QMB, SLMB and QI by name if the person you speak to is unsure.
2. Apply for all of them at once. You do not pick one. The state determines which band you fall into.
3. Gather documents: proof of income, your Medicare card, proof of identity and residency, and bank statements if your state has an asset test.
4. Apply early in the year if you might be in the QI band, because QI funding is limited and granted first come, first served.
5. Wait for processing. Approval is not instant. It takes time for state and Medicare records to sync, so the premium deduction may continue for a month or two after approval.

If you want free help with the application, your state’s State Health Insurance Assistance Program provides unbiased Medicare counselling at no cost. Counsellors are not paid commission and do not sell anything.

Mistakes That Cost People the Most

Assuming you earn too much. The QI limit is $1,816 a month for one person, and many states are higher. That is above what a lot of people on Social Security alone receive.

Assuming your savings disqualify you. Your home and one car do not count. More than a dozen states have no asset test at all. California’s limit is $130,000.

Not reapplying for QI. QMB and SLMB generally renew. QI does not. Missing the reapplication means losing the benefit for a year.

Applying late in the year for QI. The funding is capped and first come, first served.

Paying a QMB bill you do not owe. Providers cannot bill QMB enrollees for Medicare-covered cost sharing. If you receive one, challenge it rather than paying it.

Not applying because you are not on Medicaid. These are separate programs. Your state Medicaid office runs them, but you do not need to qualify for Medicaid to get one.

Why This Matters More in 2027

Two things are moving.

The 2027 Social Security cost-of-living adjustment is announced on 14 October 2026, currently projected at around 3.6%. On the average retirement benefit that is roughly $75 a month.

The 2027 Part B premium is confirmed separately in November, projected at $209.50 though private forecasters expect higher.

So part of next year’s raise disappears into the premium before it reaches anyone. Unless you are on a Medicare Savings Program, in which case the premium is not deducted at all and you keep the whole increase.

Our 2027 COLA guide has a calculator for the raise itself, and our Part B premium guide covers the projection.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the income limit for a Medicare Savings Program in 2026?

At the federal baseline, monthly income up to $1,350 for QMB, $1,616 for SLMB and $1,816 for QI, for one person. Couple limits are higher. Many states use higher limits, and Alaska and Hawaii are higher again, so do not rule yourself out on the federal figures.

Do Medicare Savings Programs really pay the whole Part B premium?

Yes. QMB, SLMB and QI all pay the full standard premium, $202.90 a month in 2026. QMB also covers deductibles, coinsurance and copays.

Will my savings disqualify me?

Possibly not. The 2026 resource limits are $9,950 individual and $14,910 couple, but your home, one car, household goods and burial plots do not count. More than a dozen states have removed the asset test entirely, and California allows $130,000 for an individual.

Is this the same as Medicaid?

No. Medicare Savings Programs are administered by state Medicaid offices but are separate. You can receive one without qualifying for full Medicaid.

Do I get help with prescriptions too?

Yes, automatically. Qualifying for any Medicare Savings Program enrolls you in Extra Help, which substantially reduces Part D drug costs. No separate application needed.

Do I have to reapply every year?

For QI, yes. Its funding is capped and granted first come, first served each year. QMB and SLMB generally renew, though your state may ask you to verify income periodically.

Can a provider bill me if I have QMB?

Not for Medicare-covered deductibles, coinsurance or copayments. That is a federal protection. If you receive such a bill, it is an error and you can dispute it.

How long does approval take?

It varies by state and is not instant. Records between your state and Medicare need to sync, so the premium may continue coming out of your Social Security payment for a month or two after you are approved.

Where to Start

One phone call. Contact your state Medicaid office and ask about Medicare Savings Programs, using that exact name. Ask them to assess you for QMB, SLMB and QI together.

If you are turned down, ask which program you were assessed against and what the deciding figure was. People are sometimes assessed against the wrong band.

If you are not sure what else you might qualify for, our free eligibility checker takes about two minutes.