Four Medicare Savings Programs Can Pay Your Premiums: 2026 Income Limits Start at $1,350 a Month for the Fullest Help
Many lower-income Medicare enrollees do not realize the state may be able to pay their Medicare premiums for them. According to Medicare.gov, the four Medicare Savings Programs, run through state Medicaid programs, help people with limited income and resources pay Medicare premiums, and at the fullest level also deductibles, coinsurance and copayments.
The most comprehensive is the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) Program. For 2026, its limits are monthly income of $1,350 for an individual or $1,824 for a married couple, with resources capped at $9,950 and $14,910. QMB pays Part A premiums for those who do not have premium-free Part A, plus Part B premiums, deductibles, coinsurance and copayments, and Medicare providers are not allowed to bill QMB enrollees for those covered costs.
Two programs pay Part B premiums only: the Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB) Program, with 2026 monthly income limits of $1,616 for an individual and $2,184 for a couple, and the Qualifying Individual (QI) Program, at $1,816 and $2,455. QI requires an application every year, and states approve applications on a first-come, first-served basis, with priority for people who received QI the previous year. The fourth program, QDWI, helps disabled workers who lost premium-free Part A when they returned to work; it pays Part A premiums only, with a higher individual income limit of $5,405 a month.
Enrollees in all four programs also receive Extra Help with prescription drug costs, paying no more than $12.65 in 2026 for each drug covered by their Medicare drug plan.
Medicare.gov notes that these are federal limits: some states do not count certain types or amounts of income or resources, limits are slightly higher in Alaska and Hawaii, and people above the federal figures may still qualify in their state. Applications go through state Medicaid agencies, which make the final eligibility decision. (Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)
Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：一对长者夫妇在家中。Wikimedia Commons 图片（CC0）。 / Photo: An older couple at home. Image via Wikimedia Commons (CC0).
