Medicare Savings Programs — In Plain Words
Medicare Savings Programs are four programs that help people with limited income and resources pay some of their Medicare costs. They are run by the states, through the state Medicaid office. This page explains the four programs using Medicare.gov’s own page about them, plus one Medicare fact sheet from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which is labeled where it is used.
Every dollar figure on this page is a 2026 figure, printed exactly as Medicare.gov prints it and labeled with its year. Medicare.gov says these limits go up each year, and its fact sheet says the limits may change in 2027. Figures from any other year are not printed here.
Short answer: The four programs are the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) Program, the Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB) Program, the Qualifying Individual (QI) Program, and the Qualified Disabled & Working Individual (QDWI) Program. QMB helps pay the most: Part A and Part B premiums, plus deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments for Medicare-covered services and items. SLMB and QI help pay Part B premiums. QDWI helps pay Part A premiums for certain people with a disability who are working. You apply through your state Medicaid office, and your state decides whether you qualify.
This page is general information only. It cannot say whether any reader qualifies. Only your state Medicaid office decides that.
The first thing Medicare.gov wants you to know
Medicare.gov opens its explanation this way: “In most cases, your income and resources must be below a certain limit to qualify for a Medicare Savings Program, as described below. These limits go up each year.”
And right after that: “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.”
The CMS fact sheet says the same thing in its own words: “Your state decides eligibility for each program. Income and resource limits vary by state (some states don’t count your resources at all), but most states use the income and resource limits listed below.” And it advises: “Call or fill out an application with your state, even if your income or resources are higher than the amounts listed below. You may qualify for a Medicare Savings Program but not know it.”
So the limits below are the federal limits most states use. They are not a promise, and being above a line here is not a final no. Your state is the one that decides.
1. Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) Program
Helps pay for: Part A premiums (if you don’t have premium-free Part A); Part B premiums, deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments (for services and items Medicare covers).
| QMB — Monthly income and resource limits for 2026 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Your situation | Monthly income limit* | Resource limit |
| Individual | $1,350 | $9,950 |
| Married couple | $1,824 | $14,910 |
If you qualify for the QMB program, Medicare.gov states:
- “Medicare providers aren’t allowed to bill you for services and items Medicare covers, including deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments.”
- “You may get a bill for a small Medicaid copayment, if one applies.”
- You’ll also get Extra Help paying for your prescription drugs. “You’ll pay no more than $12.65 in 2026 for each drug covered by your Medicare drug plan.”
Medicare.gov also says to show both your Medicare card and your Medicaid card (or QMB card) each time you get care.
2. Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB) Program
Helps pay for: Part B premiums only. Medicare.gov notes: “(You must have both Part A and Part B to qualify.)”
| SLMB — Monthly income and resource limits for 2026 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Your situation | Monthly income limit* | Resource limit |
| Individual | $1,616 | $9,950 |
| Married couple | $2,184 | $14,910 |
If you qualify for the SLMB Program, Medicare.gov states you’ll also get Extra Help paying for your prescription drugs, and “You’ll pay no more than $12.65 in 2026 for each drug your Medicare drug plan covers.”
3. Qualifying Individual (QI) Program
Helps pay for: Part B premiums. Medicare.gov notes: “(You must have both Part A and Part B to qualify.)”
| QI — Monthly income and resource limits for 2026 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Your situation | Monthly income limit* | Resource limit |
| Individual | $1,816 | $9,950 |
| Married couple | $2,455 | $14,910 |
If you qualify for the QI program, Medicare.gov states:
- “You must apply every year to stay in the QI Program.”
- “States approve applications on a first-come, first-served basis – priority is given to people who got QI benefits the previous year.”
- You’ll also get Extra Help paying for your prescription drugs. “You’ll pay no more than $12.65 in 2026 for each drug your Medicare drug plan covers.”
Medicare.gov adds: “QI is only available for people who don’t qualify for any other Medicaid coverage or benefits, but you may qualify for help from another Medicare Savings Program.”
4. Qualified Disabled & Working Individual (QDWI) Program
Medicare.gov says you may qualify for the QDWI Program if you:
- Have a disability
- Are working
- Lost your Social Security disability benefits and Medicare premium-free Part A because you returned to work
Helps pay for: Part A premiums only.
| QDWI — Monthly income and resource limits for 2026 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Your situation | Monthly income limit* | Resource limit |
| Individual | $5,405 | $4,000 |
| Married couple | $7,299 | $6,000 |
*Medicare.gov prints this footnote with every program’s table: “Income limits slightly higher in Alaska and Hawaii. You may qualify in other states for these programs even if your income or resources are higher than the federal limits listed. Contact your state to find out.”
What counts as a resource
The Medicare.gov page’s tables link to a “What counts in resource limits?” explanation. The CMS fact sheet gives the short version, and this page prints the fact sheet’s version, labeled as such: resources “includes resources like money in a checking, savings, or retirement account.” (CMS fact sheet, footnote to its limits table.) The full counting rules are your state’s to apply, which is one more reason the state office — not this page — decides who qualifies.
How to apply
The CMS fact sheet answers this directly: “Contact your state’s Medicaid office. To find the contact information for your state, visit medicaid.gov/about-us/where-can-people-get-help-medicaid-chip, or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048.”
The same fact sheet adds: “You can apply for Medicare Savings Programs at the same time as you apply for Extra Help, a program that helps with the cost of drugs covered by Medicare Part D. If you get help paying your Part B premium through a Medicare Savings Program, you’ll automatically get Extra Help.”
Not the same page as Extra Help. Extra Help is the separate program that helps with Medicare drug (Part D) costs, and it has its own page in this set: Medicare Extra Help — Help Paying for Prescriptions, In Plain Words. The connection, in the sources’ words, is the one just quoted: getting Part B premium help through a Medicare Savings Program also brings Extra Help automatically. The two programs are still different programs, with different limits, and this page does not mix their figures.
What this page cannot do. This page cannot say whether you, or anyone, qualifies for any of these programs. The limits above are the 2026 federal limits most states use, printed as Medicare.gov prints them. Your state decides eligibility for each program, some states do not count certain income or resources, and some do not count resources at all. The only way to find out is to apply through your state Medicaid office — which, in the CMS fact sheet’s words, is worth doing “even if your income or resources are higher than the amounts listed.”
Sources
Medicare.gov — “Medicare Savings Programs.” https://www.medicare.gov/basics/costs/help/medicare-savings-programs The four programs, what each helps pay for, every 2026 income and resource limit, the Alaska and Hawaii footnote, the QMB billing protection, the QI yearly-application and first-come-first-served rules, the QDWI conditions, and the $12.65-in-2026 Extra Help drug figure all come from this page.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Medicare.gov fact sheet — “Save money on your Medicare costs” (Product No. 12132). https://www.medicare.gov/publications/12132-need-help-paying-your-medicare-costs.pdf Secondary source, labeled where used: the “your state decides eligibility” wording, the apply-even-if-higher advice, the resource footnote, the how-to-apply routes and phone numbers, and the apply-for-both-at-once note come from this fact sheet. Its 2026 limits table matches the Medicare.gov page above, figure for figure.
Checked November 2026
This page is general information only. It cannot say whether any reader qualifies for any program. Only your state Medicaid office decides that.
Only Medicare and your state Medicaid office can speak to your own coverage. This page decides nothing.