Medicare Savings Programs 2027: How Your State Can Pay Your Part B Premium

Table of Contents

• What Are Medicare Savings Programs?
• The Four Programs — and What Each One Pays
• How Much Could You Actually Save?
• Who Qualifies: Income and Resource Limits
• What Counts as a Resource (and What Doesn’t)
• The Extra Help Bonus Most People Miss
• How to Apply
• What About 2027? When the Limits Change
• Five Mistakes That Cost People This Help
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Sources

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If you are on Medicare and money is tight, there is a good chance your state will pay part of your Medicare bill for you — and a good chance nobody has told you. The four Medicare Savings Programs are run by state Medicaid programs, and they pay the Part B premium for people with limited income. The most generous one, QMB, also pays your deductibles and copays.

These programs are not new, and they are not a scam or a limited-time offer. They have existed for decades, and millions of people qualify without ever applying. The most common reason people miss out is simple: they assume they earn too much, or they assume the help comes with a catch. Medicare.gov’s own advice is to apply even if you think you do not qualify, because your state may count your income differently from the way you expect. The income and resource limits are published on Medicare.gov, and they are the figures used in this guide.

This guide explains the four programs in plain English, the exact income and resource limits for 2026, what each program pays, how to apply, and what changes for 2027.

What Are Medicare Savings Programs?

Medicare Savings Programs are four separate programs, all run by your state Medicaid office, not by Medicare itself. They help people with limited income and resources pay for Medicare costs:

• QMB — Qualified Medicare Beneficiary
• SLMB — Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary
• QI — Qualifying Individual
• QDWI — Qualified Disabled and Working Individual

You apply once, through your state Medicaid office, and the state decides which program you fit. You do not need to pick the right one in advance. If your income is low enough for QMB, you get QMB. If it is a little higher, you may get SLMB or QI instead.

One important point: these programs are separate from Medicare Open Enrollment. You can apply for a Medicare Savings Program at any time of year. The December 7 deadline that governs switching Medicare Advantage and Part D plans does not apply here — and if you are choosing a plan before December 7, knowing whether the state will pay your premium changes the maths completely. Our Medicare Open Enrollment checklist walks through the plan decisions that do have a deadline.

The Four Programs — and What Each One Pays

Program	What it pays	Monthly income limit, single (2026)	Monthly income limit, couple (2026)
QMB	Part A premium (if you pay one), Part B premium, and all Part A and Part B deductibles, coinsurance and copays	$1,350	$1,824
SLMB	Part B premium only	$1,616	$2,184
QI	Part B premium only	$1,816	$2,455
QDWI	Part A premium only, for certain working people with disabilities	$5,405	$7,299

These are the federal limits for 2026 in the 48 contiguous states and Washington, D.C., published by Medicare.gov. Limits are slightly higher in Alaska and Hawaii, and some states set higher limits or drop the resource test entirely — more on that below.

QMB is the big one. If you qualify, the state pays your Part B premium and also covers the costs Medicare normally leaves to you: the Part A and Part B deductibles, the 20% coinsurance on doctor visits, and copays. Doctors and other providers who accept Medicare cannot bill you for those cost-sharing amounts once you have QMB. For someone who sees a doctor regularly, that can be worth far more than the premium alone.

SLMB and QI pay only the Part B premium. That is still real money — the Part B premium is $202.90 a month in 2026 — but you still pay your own deductibles and copays. The difference between the two is income: QI reaches people whose income is a little too high for SLMB. You need both Part A and Part B to qualify for SLMB or QI.

QDWI is different from the other three. It is for people under 65 who are disabled, went back to work, and lost their premium-free Part A because of that work. It pays only the Part A premium. Its income limit is much higher because the published figures build in earned-income disregards on top of the usual exclusions.

How Much Could You Actually Save?

Start with the premium. At $202.90 a month, the Part B premium costs $2,434.80 a year. That is what SLMB or QI saves you — money that otherwise comes straight out of your Social Security check each month.

QMB saves you that plus everything else. The Part B deductible alone is $283 in 2026, and a single hospital stay carries a Part A deductible of $1,736. Add the 20% coinsurance on outpatient care, and a QMB enrollee with average medical use can save several thousand dollars a year compared with paying Medicare’s cost-sharing out of pocket.

The saving also interacts with your Social Security check. Most people have the Part B premium deducted from their benefit before it reaches their bank account, so the premium quietly shrinks every payment. Our guide to the hold-harmless rule explains how that deduction interacts with the 2027 cost-of-living increase. If a Medicare Savings Program pays your premium, the full benefit reaches you instead.

Who Qualifies: Income and Resource Limits

Eligibility rests on two tests: income and resources (savings and assets). Both are measured against federal limits, but your state makes the final decision — and states are allowed to be more generous than the federal floor.

Income limits for 2026

The limits are tied to the federal poverty guideline, which the Department of Health and Human Services set at $15,960 a year for one person in 2026 ($1,330 a month). QMB covers people at or below 100% of that guideline, SLMB up to 120%, and QI up to 135%. Each published limit already includes a $20 monthly general income exclusion — the first $20 of income each month is not counted.

Program	Single	Married couple
QMB (100% of poverty guideline)	$1,350/month	$1,824/month
SLMB (120%)	$1,616/month	$2,184/month
QI (135%)	$1,816/month	$2,455/month
QDWI	$5,405/month	$7,299/month

Resource limits for 2026

For QMB, SLMB and QI, the federal resource limit is $9,950 for one person and $14,910 for a married couple. For QDWI it is lower: $4,000 for one person and $6,000 for a couple.

Your state may allow more

This is the part most people miss. Several states have raised the income limits above the federal figures or removed the resource test altogether. New York and Connecticut, for example, have eliminated the asset test for these programs, and Washington state applies higher income limits and no asset test. That is why Medicare.gov tells people to apply even if they look slightly over the federal limits on paper — your state’s rules may still let you in.

What Counts as a Resource (and What Doesn’t)

The resource test counts money in checking and savings accounts, retirement accounts, stocks and bonds. But a long list of things does not count:

• Your home
• One car
• A burial plot
• Up to $1,500 set aside for burial expenses
• Furniture and other household and personal items

For many retirees, the house and the car are where most of their wealth sits — and neither one counts against them. If your countable savings are close to the limit, it is still worth applying: some states disregard certain resources, and the limits rise a little each year.

There is also a practical change that makes applying easier. Under a federal streamlining rule, states must now accept self-attestation of your resources — your own statement of what you have — rather than demanding bank statements up front before they will even look at your application.

The Extra Help Bonus Most People Miss

Here is the part that surprises even people who know about Medicare Savings Programs: if you qualify for QMB, SLMB or QI, you automatically qualify for Extra Help, the federal program that cuts prescription drug costs under Part D. You do not file a separate application. Medicare sends you a purple “deemed status” notice confirming it, and if you do not already have a drug plan, Medicare will enrol you in one.

Extra Help lowers your Part D premium, deductible and copays, and it matters more than ever in 2027, when the Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,400 and staying in the same plan could raise some premiums by about 50%. Our guide to Medicare Part D costs for 2027 explains the new cap, and our look at the Part D premium shock shows why checking your plan before December 7 matters.

QDWI is the exception: it does not trigger automatic Extra Help, so QDWI enrollees who want drug-cost help must apply for Extra Help separately through Social Security.

How to Apply

1. Contact your state Medicaid office. That is where applications go — not Medicare, and not Social Security. You can find your state’s contact details through Medicare.gov’s contacts page, or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) and ask to be connected.
2. Apply even if you are unsure. Medicare.gov says this plainly, and it is worth repeating: income and resource rules vary by state, and some income does not count. A “no” from the online charts is not a final answer.
3. Have your basics ready. You will need your Medicare card, proof of income (such as your Social Security award letter), and a rough list of your bank and retirement accounts. You can state your resources yourself in most states now.
4. If you are approved, check the effective date. QMB coverage can start the month after you are approved. SLMB and QI generally start the month you are approved.
5. Reapply for QI every year. QI is the only one of the four that must be renewed annually. It is also first-come, first-served, because it is paid from a capped federal allotment — people who had QI last year get priority, but the money can run out, so apply early in the year.

There is no application fee, no deadline, and no penalty for applying and being turned down. If your income drops later — for example, if you stop working — apply again.

What About 2027? When the Limits Change

The limits in this article are the 2026 figures, because those are the ones in force today. The 2027 limits have not been published yet. They are set from the new federal poverty guidelines, which are usually released in January, and they typically take effect in the spring. Expect the 2027 limits to be slightly higher than the 2026 ones.

The same is true of the Part B premium itself. As of this writing, CMS has not announced the final 2027 Part B premium. The 2026 Medicare Trustees Report projected $209.50 a month, up $6.60 from $202.90 — but that is a projection, not a bill. When CMS does announce the final number, usually in mid-November, the value of SLMB and QI rises with it, because the program pays whatever the premium turns out to be. Our Medicare 2027 hub tracks the announcement and every other confirmed 2027 change in one place.

Five Mistakes That Cost People This Help

1. Assuming the December 7 deadline applies. Medicare Savings Programs have no annual deadline. You can apply in January, in July, or the day after you read this.
2. Deciding you earn too much without checking. The $20 monthly disregard, the way states count (or don’t count) certain income, and more generous state rules mean the online chart is a starting point, not a verdict.
3. Counting the house and car against yourself. Your home and one car do not count as resources. Many people who think they are “too wealthy” are not, once the exclusions are applied.
4. Forgetting QI must be renewed. QI enrollees who do not reapply lose the premium help — and because funding is capped, late applicants can be turned away even if they qualified last year.
5. Applying for a Medicare Savings Program but not checking Extra Help. If you qualify for QMB, SLMB or QI, Extra Help is automatic — but you should still confirm your drug plan is the right one, because the 2027 Part D changes make a bad plan choice expensive.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

• Medicare.gov — Medicare Savings Programs (2026 income and resource limits): https://www.medicare.gov/medicare-savings-programs
• Social Security Administration — Extra Help with Medicare prescription drug plan costs: https://www.ssa.gov/medicare/part-d-extra-help
• Medicare.gov — contacts (find your state Medicaid office): https://www.medicare.gov/contacts
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, ASPE — 2026 Poverty Guidelines ($15,960 for one person)
• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services — 2026 Medicare Parts A and B premiums and deductibles (Part B premium $202.90; Part B deductible $283; Part A deductible $1,736)
• 2026 Medicare Trustees Report (2027 Part B premium projection of $209.50 — projection only, not final)

General information only, not personal financial or insurance advice. Limits change each year and vary by state — confirm your own eligibility with your state Medicaid office.