Help Paying Medicare Premiums 2026: Savings Programs (MSP)

If you have Medicare and a limited income, there is a program that can pay your monthly Part B premium — $202.90 a month in 2026 — and, at the highest tier, your deductibles and copayments too. It is not a discount card and it is not a private plan. It is a set of four programs called Medicare Savings Programs, run by your state.

Most people who qualify never apply. Medicare’s own page gives the reason it matters, in one line: “Even if you don’t think you qualify, you should still apply.” Your state decides which of the four programs fits you — you do not have to pick the right one yourself.

What You Are Currently Paying

Before looking at the programs, it helps to see what is actually on the table. These are the 2026 figures from Medicare.gov:

Medicare cost (2026)	Amount
Part B premium	$202.90 each month (higher if your income is high)
Part B deductible	$283 each year
Part A premium	$0 for most people; $311 or $565 a month if you have to buy it
Part A hospital deductible	$1,736 for each benefit period

The Part B premium alone comes out of your Social Security payment every month, whether or not you see a doctor. That is the cost a Medicare Savings Program is designed to take off your plate.

The Four Programs and the 2026 Limits

All four have an income limit and a resource limit. The figures below are the federal limits published by Medicare.gov for 2026.

Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) — the most complete help

Helps pay for: Part A premiums (if you don’t have premium-free Part A), plus Part B premiums, deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments for services and items Medicare covers.

Your situation	Monthly income limit	Resource limit
Individual	$1,350	$9,950
Married couple	$1,824	$14,910

QMB carries a protection the other programs do not: Medicare providers aren’t allowed to bill you for services and items Medicare covers, including deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments. You may still get a bill for a small Medicaid copayment if one applies. Show both your Medicare card and your Medicaid (or QMB) card each time you get care.

Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB)

Helps pay for: Part B premiums. You must have both Part A and Part B to qualify.

Your situation	Monthly income limit	Resource limit
Individual	$1,616	$9,950
Married couple	$2,184	$14,910

Qualifying Individual (QI)

Helps pay for: Part B premiums. You must have both Part A and Part B to qualify.

Your situation	Monthly income limit	Resource limit
Individual	$1,816	$9,950
Married couple	$2,455	$14,910

Two rules are specific to QI. You must apply every year to stay in the program, and states approve applications first come, first served, with priority given to people who got QI benefits the previous year. QI is also only available to people who don’t qualify for any other Medicaid coverage or benefits — though you may still qualify for help from a different Medicare Savings Program.

Qualified Disabled & Working Individual (QDWI)

Helps pay for: Part A premiums only.

You may qualify for QDWI if you have a disability, are working, and lost your Social Security disability benefits and premium-free Part A because you returned to work.

Your situation	Monthly income limit	Resource limit
Individual	$5,405	$4,000
Married couple	$7,299	$6,000

Note the reversal: QDWI allows a much higher income than the other three, but a much lower resource limit.

Two Reasons the Limits Above May Not Apply to You

Medicare states both of these directly on its Medicare Savings Programs page, and both work in your favor:

1. Some states are more generous. “You may still qualify for these programs in your state even if your income or resources are higher than the federal limits listed. Some states don’t count certain types or specific amounts of income or resources when deciding who qualifies.”
2. Alaska and Hawaii have higher income limits.

The limits also go up each year. If you were turned down in a previous year on income, the number you were measured against has since changed.

Your Prescription Costs Drop Too — Automatically

This is the part most people miss. If you qualify for QMB, SLMB, or QI, Medicare states that you also get Extra Help paying for prescription drugs, and you’ll pay no more than $12.65 in 2026 for each drug your Medicare drug plan covers.

You do not file a separate application for that. One approved Medicare Savings Program application handles both.

How to Apply

1. Contact your state. These programs are run by your state, so the application goes to your state — usually the same agency that handles Medicaid. Medicare’s Medicare Savings Programs page links to a state contact lookup.
2. Apply even if you think you are over the limit. This is Medicare’s own advice, and the state-variation rules above are why it is not just encouragement.
3. Let the state sort out which program. When you apply, your state determines which program or programs you qualify for. You are not required to name QMB, SLMB, QI, or QDWI yourself.
4. Get free help if you want it. State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIPs) give free counseling to people with Medicare and their families — including finding Medicare Savings Programs, applying for Extra Help, and filing appeals. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).
5. If you are in QI, mark your calendar. QI requires a fresh application every year, and funding is first come, first served.

There is no fee to apply for a Medicare Savings Program, and no one needs to file it for you. Anyone who asks you to pay to enroll, or who asks for your Medicare number by phone to “check your eligibility,” is not part of this program.

Related Guides

• Medicare Savings Programs are administered by state Medicaid agencies — our Medicaid eligibility guide explains how those agencies work and what they ask for.
• If your drug costs are still high, NeedyMeds and the HealthWell Foundation cover different gaps than Extra Help does.
• For care itself, community health centers charge on a sliding scale based on your income.
• Many people on a fixed income who qualify here also qualify for the Lifeline phone and internet discount and LIHEAP energy bill help.
• If getting a hot meal is part of the picture, see Meals on Wheels for seniors.

How We Checked This

Every figure on this page was read directly from the page that publishes it, not from another site’s summary. The four programs’ 2026 monthly income and resource limits, the sentence telling you to apply anyway, and the yearly-reapplication rule for QI come from Medicare’s own Medicare Savings Programs page; the $202.90 Part B premium from Medicare’s 2026 costs page.

We also checked the limits against Social Security’s internal staff manual, POMS HI 00815.024, which publishes the same 2026 figures alongside the previous year’s — a useful cross-check, since these numbers change every January. That manual is also where the plainest warning about state variation appears: “Many states apply different standards and methods to determine MSP eligibility. Some states, for example, have no resources for these programs or figure the income and resources differently.” That is why the number above is a starting point, not a verdict on your case.

One thing the consumer page does not spell out: the automatic Extra Help connection covers QMB, SLMB and QI only. Social Security’s manual states that QDWI participants “are not deemed eligible for Extra Help.” Our side-by-side comparison of the two programs works through what that means in practice.

If your state office tells you something different about your case, trust them for your case and tell us so we can re-check the guide.

Medicare Savings Programs are federal-state programs administered by each state; income and resource limits are the federal 2026 figures and your state’s rules may be more generous. All figures on this page were verified on Medicare.gov on August 7, 2026 and re-verified against Medicare.gov and SSA’s POMS on August 21, 2026.