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Yes. A Medicare Savings Program (MSP) may pay your Medicare Part B premium if you qualify under your state’s rules. The three programs that can help with Part B premiums are Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB), Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB), and Qualifying Individual (QI). QMB can also help with Medicare-covered deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments. The 2026 federal income and resource limits are useful screening figures, not a final eligibility decision: states may set more generous rules or disregard some income and resources.
What a Medicare Savings Program can pay
Medicare Savings Programs are state-administered benefits for people with Medicare who meet the applicable requirements. Medicare describes them as available through each state. The practical point is that assistance can reduce what you owe for Part B, whose standard monthly premium is $202.90 in 2026. Some beneficiaries pay more than that standard premium because of income-related adjustments; the national sources do not establish that every enrollee’s full adjusted amount will be covered. A state must determine your eligibility and the applicable assistance.
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Three MSP categories can help pay the Part B premium:
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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →- QMB can pay the Part B premium and, if applicable, the Part A premium. It also helps with Medicare-covered deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments.
- SLMB pays the Part B premium.
- QI pays the Part B premium, subject to its eligibility, annual application, and funding rules.
QMB has an important billing protection: providers may not bill QMB enrollees for Medicare-covered cost sharing. A small Medicaid copayment may still apply. That protection concerns Medicare-covered services and costs; it does not mean every service or expense is covered.
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QMB, SLMB, and QI also make beneficiaries automatically eligible for Extra Help with Medicare prescription drug costs, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Medicare & You 2027 handbook, published in 2026. Extra Help is separate from Part B premium assistance: it helps with Medicare drug-plan costs, not the Part B premium. Medicare’s 2026 MSP guidance also says QMB, SLMB, and QI beneficiaries pay no more than $12.65 per covered drug under their Medicare drug plan. That is a dated drug-cost detail, not the amount of Part B assistance.
2026 federal income and resource limits
The figures below are the 2026 federal limits published by Medicare and CMS. Income figures are monthly; resource figures are limits for countable resources. They are shown for an individual and a couple. Alaska and Hawaii have slightly higher federal limits. Some states use higher income or resource levels, or disregard certain types or amounts of income and resources, so exceeding a figure below does not by itself prove that you are ineligible.
| Program | What it can pay | 2026 federal monthly income limit Individual / couple |
2026 federal resource limit Individual / couple |
Enrollment and program rules |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QMB | Part B premium; Part A premium if applicable; Medicare-covered deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments | $1,350 / $1,824 | $9,950 / $14,910 | Providers may not bill QMB enrollees for Medicare-covered cost sharing; a small Medicaid copayment may apply. |
| SLMB | Part B premium | $1,616 / $2,184 | $9,950 / $14,910 | Must have both Part A and Part B. |
| QI | Part B premium | $1,816 / $2,455 | $9,950 / $14,910 | Must have Part A and Part B, and not qualify for other Medicaid coverage or benefits. Apply every year; states process applications first-come, with priority for people who received QI the previous year. |
These figures are screening references, not a calculator that can decide a case. The state agency reviews the household’s circumstances and its own rules. For example, someone whose income or assets are above a federal figure may still want to apply if their state disregards some amount or uses a higher limit. Conversely, being below a listed figure does not guarantee approval: the state also considers program-specific conditions and its determination of countable income and resources.
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QDWI, or Qualified Disabled and Working Individuals, is not a way to get help with Part B. It helps certain disabled people who are working and lost premium-free Part A after returning to work pay the Part A premium. Do not treat it as a fourth Part B premium program.
How income and resources are counted
Do not assume that every dollar or asset you own is counted in the same way for every state. CMS’s April 2026 guide, Get Help with Your Medicare Costs, describes countable resources under the federal count in that guide and identifies several exclusions. It says countable resources may include money in checking or savings accounts, stocks, and bonds. The guide excludes a home, one car, a burial plot, up to $1,500 set aside for burial costs, furniture, and other household and personal items from that federal resource count.
Those exclusions are useful when you are deciding whether it is worth asking about MSPs, but they do not replace the state’s rules. States may have higher resource allowances or disregard particular resources. Nor does the listed federal income limit tell you, by itself, which income a state counts or how it applies a disregard. If you are close to a limit, ask the state Medical Assistance or Medicaid office how it treats your actual income and assets rather than subtracting or excluding items on your own.
When you contact the state, describe your situation accurately and ask which MSPs it will evaluate you for. If you are part of a couple, use the couple figures only as a screening reference; the state still decides how its rules apply to your case. If you are uncertain whether a resource is countable, ask about that specific item instead of assuming that the federal list settles it.
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Apply through your state’s Medical Assistance or Medicaid office. Medicare says to apply even if you do not think you qualify. There is no single national MSP application form, document checklist, or processing-time promise established in Medicare’s national guidance; application instructions and the eligibility decision come from the state. The state can determine which program or programs fit your circumstances.
- Find the state office. Contact the Medical Assistance or Medicaid office for the state where you live and ask how to apply for a Medicare Savings Program. Use the state’s instructions rather than relying on a form or checklist intended for another state.
- Ask to be screened for the relevant programs. If you have Medicare Part A and Part B, ask about QMB, SLMB, and QI. If you are unsure which category applies, explain that you need help with the Part B premium and let the state assess the available programs.
- Give the state accurate information. Follow its application instructions and answer questions about your income, resources, Medicare coverage, and household circumstances. Ask how it counts an item if you are unsure; the federal screening limits alone do not resolve every state’s counting rules.
- For QI, reapply each year. QI has an explicit annual application requirement. States process QI applications first-come and prioritize previous-year QI recipients, so do not assume last year’s approval automatically continues.
- Check the state’s decision and next steps. The state—not a federal threshold table—decides eligibility. Follow any state instructions about the decision or future applications; national guidance does not set one processing time for all states.
There is no need to wait for a premium bill or a particular Social Security deduction before asking about assistance. Most people have their Part B premium deducted automatically from Social Security or Railroad Retirement Board benefits. People who do not receive those benefits generally get a Medicare premium bill. The way you pay the premium does not determine whether you qualify for an MSP.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Which program should you ask about?
The right first question is not simply “Am I under the QMB limit?” but “Which program might my state find me eligible for?” QMB combines Part B premium help with Medicare-covered cost-sharing assistance, while SLMB and QI provide Part B premium help only. Their federal screening limits differ, and QI also has the annual renewal and funding rules shown above.
If you have both Part A and Part B, you may ask the state to consider all three categories rather than trying to self-select based on a national chart. SLMB and QI specifically require both Part A and Part B; QI also excludes people who qualify for other Medicaid coverage or benefits. A state office can apply its program criteria to your case and explain what information it needs.
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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteIf your income or resources exceed the figures in the federal table, that is a reason to ask about state rules, not necessarily a reason to stop. Likewise, if your figures appear to be below a federal limit, apply rather than treating that as an automatic approval. The federal amounts help you identify which questions to ask; only the state can make the individual eligibility decision.
How Part B premium assistance fits your budget
The standard Part B premium is $202.90 a month in 2026, although income-related adjustments can make some beneficiaries’ premiums higher. If an MSP pays the premium for which you are responsible, that can reduce the amount of your Medicare costs. Do not multiply the standard premium by 12 and assume that is your personal savings: your premium may differ, eligibility is state-determined, and the sources do not promise a specific assistance amount for every beneficiary.
For a person with QMB, the potential help is broader than the premium alone because QMB also covers Medicare-covered deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments, with the provider billing protection described earlier. SLMB and QI are narrower: their listed benefit is the Part B premium. Keep this distinction in mind when budgeting for costs beyond the premium.
These programs address Medicare costs; they are not a general cash benefit. Their value depends on the category the state approves, the costs that category covers, and the person’s circumstances. If medication expenses are also a concern, ask about the automatic Extra Help eligibility associated with QMB, SLMB, or QI, remembering that drug-cost assistance is separate from the Part B premium.
Official guidance
Medicare’s official Medicare Savings Programs guidance says, “Even if you don’t think you qualify, you should still apply.” The CMS Medicare & You 2027 handbook likewise explains that Medicare Savings Programs are available through your state. Use Medicare’s program descriptions and 2026 figures to prepare, then rely on your state office for application directions and a decision tailored to your case.
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