A single person on Medicare whose income is under $1,350 a month and whose savings are under $9,950 can have the $202.90 Part B premium paid by a state program, according to Medicare.gov’s 2026 figures. The program is the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary program, known as QMB, one of three Medicare Savings Programs that states run for people with limited income. Because the state decides which program a person fits, the premium is covered only after an application is approved.
For a married couple, the QMB ceilings are $1,824 in monthly income and $14,910 in resources. The Part B premium is the standard 2026 charge of $202.90 a month, which can run higher for people with higher incomes, and the Part B deductible this year is $283. The limits are set for 2026 and move up each year.
The question for anyone on Medicare is whether household income and savings sit under those lines, because the benefit goes only to people who ask for it. A single person under both $1,350 a month and $9,950 is inside the QMB limits on the federal numbers, and a couple is inside under $1,824 and $14,910. The Medicare Savings Programs page advises applying even when a person does not expect to qualify, since the state makes the call and some states allow more than the federal limits.
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What QMB pays beyond the Part B premium
The premium is only the first item. According to Medicare.gov’s Medicare Savings Programs page, QMB also pays the deductibles, coinsurance and copayments for services and items Medicare covers. Someone who does not have premium-free Part A also gets the Part A premium paid.
That makes QMB the most complete of the three programs. Coinsurance and copayments for covered care are part of what the program takes over, so the benefit reaches well past the monthly premium. The page lists the resource limit at $9,950 for an individual and $14,910 for a married couple, the same for all three programs.
What $202.90 a month adds up to over a year
At the standard 2026 rate, twelve months of Part B premiums come to $2,434.80. Medicare.gov’s Medicare costs page shows the $202.90 premium and the $283 deductible for 2026, and says the amount can change each year. The saving in 2027 will therefore track whatever the Part B premium is set at then.
For a single person near the $1,350 income line, $202.90 is about 15 percent of the month’s income. QMB takes that charge and the $283 deductible off the table. The yearly total is the clearest measure of what an application is worth.
Income above $1,350: where SLMB and QI come in
A person who is over the QMB income line is not necessarily shut out. The same Medicare.gov page sets the Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary program, or SLMB, at $1,616 a month for an individual and $2,184 for a couple. The Qualifying Individual program, or QI, goes to $1,816 for an individual and $2,455 for a couple, with the same $9,950 and $14,910 resource limits.
Both SLMB and QI pay the Part B premium only, and a person must have both Part A and Part B. QI differs in one way that matters for timing: it requires a new application every year, and states approve QI applications on a first-come, first-served basis, with priority for people who received QI the previous year. The page also says people in all three programs get Extra Help with prescription drug costs, which the Social Security Administration describes as lowering Part D premiums and drug costs for people with limited income and resources.
Where to apply, and which states loosen the rules
The state runs the application, not Medicare and not the Social Security office. Medicare.gov says the state decides which program or programs a person qualifies for, and it links to the state contact list on Medicaid.gov. In practice that means the Medicaid agency, and a person who is unsure which program fits can apply once and let the state sort it.
The federal numbers are not the last word. Medicare.gov says the income limits are slightly higher in Alaska and Hawaii, and that people may qualify in other states even with income or resources above the federal limits. An Illinois Department on Aging chart of state rules, distributed through the State Health Insurance Assistance Program, notes that 14 states and the District of Columbia run Medicare Savings Programs with no asset test. In those places the $9,950 savings line does not apply at all.
That leaves one open question for each person: what their own state counts. A single person under both federal lines clears the QMB test on its face, and someone over either line may still be approved under a state’s looser rule. Only the state’s answer settles it, which is why Medicare.gov says to apply even when approval looks unlikely.
Is the $202.90 Part B premium still coming out of the benefit?
Someone who sits under the $1,350 and $9,950 lines but never applies keeps paying $2,434.80 a year in Part B premiums, plus the deductible and coinsurance that QMB would have covered. The detail that trips people up is that the state decides, and the application has to be made.
The Medicare Money Bundle holds eight Medicare guides in one 102-page download for $8, including Extra Help & Medicare Savings Programs: who qualifies, what each program pays, and how to apply. It also carries IRMAA Appeal Basics, with Form SSA-44 step by step and a filled-in sample, and it comes in large print.
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
David M. Keller is a finance writer based in Columbus, Ohio, covering personal finance and consumer-focused economic topics. He earned his degree in journalism from Ohio University and began his career reporting on local business and economic trends for a regional media outlet. Since then, he has contributed to a variety of online publications, focusing on clear, practical coverage of topics such as cost of living, debt, and everyday financial decision-making.
