Medicare Savings

About

Medicare Savings Programs are federal programs that help low-income individuals with some of the out-of-pocket costs for Medicare, including Medicare Part A and Part B premiums, deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance.

Types of Medicare Savings Programs

There are four types of Medicare Savings Programs:

• Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) Program
• Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB) Program
• Qualifying Individual (QI) Program
• Qualified Disabled and Working Individuals (QDWI) Program

Benefits vary for each program, but all of them, with the exception of the QDWI Program, help pay for Medicare Part B premiums.

Qualification

To qualify, you must have or be eligible for Medicare Part A and have income and resources below a certain threshold. The income and resource requirements are different for each of the four Medicare Savings Programs and may change from year to year.

If you qualify for a QMB, SLMB, or QI program, you automatically qualify to get Extra Help, aka as LIS (Low Income Subsidy) to help pay for Medicare prescription drug coverage. 

Additional Information

For more information on these programs, see the Medicare website.