Connecticut’s Medicare Savings Program pays the Medicare Part B premium for a single person with income up to $3,272 a month, and the program’s top tier depends on available funding. A couple can have income up to $4,437 a month. Those limits took effect March 1, 2026.
The Connecticut Department of Social Services, which runs the program, sets three tiers with three different income lines. The $3,272 figure belongs only to the highest one, known as ALMB. The two lower tiers, QMB and SLMB, stop at lower incomes but, in QMB’s case, pay for more.
Tier by tier, the state lists these monthly limits for a single person and for a couple: QMB at $2,807 and $3,806, SLMB at $3,073 and $4,166, and ALMB at $3,272 and $4,437. Income at or below the line for a tier is the general test, and not all wages count toward it.
The question for a Connecticut Medicare enrollee is which line the monthly income falls under, and how to apply. The state’s Medicare Savings Program eligibility page carries the full table. It also lists what each tier pays.
Retirement deadlines, in your inbox: Miss an enrollment or claim deadline and the money can be gone. Join the Retirement Money Brief and we’ll send you our Medicare Premium Help & IRMAA Route Finder as a welcome gift.
Get the Brief + the premium help guide →
We may earn a commission from links on this page.
What each Connecticut tier pays
QMB is the most generous. According to the state, it pays the Part B premium and also the Medicare Part A and Part B deductibles and coinsurance, up to the Medicaid-approved rate, plus the Part A premium for certain adults 65 and older. The state says QMB “acts like a Medicare Supplemental or Medigap plan.”
SLMB and ALMB pay the Part B premium only. The difference between them is the income line and the funding. SLMB tops out at $3,073 for one person. ALMB reaches $3,272, which is the highest Connecticut limit.
Why the top tier carries a funding limit
The state attaches a warning to ALMB alone: “This program is subject to available program funding.” The eligibility page does not say what happens when the money runs short, and it does not describe a waiting list. A person who is under the income line is therefore not guaranteed a place in that tier the way the lower tiers read.
Anyone who receives Medicaid is not eligible for the program, the state says. All three tiers also enroll members automatically in the federal Low Income Subsidy, known as Extra Help, which lowers drug costs. Questions about Extra Help go to CHOICES at 1-800-994-9422.
Whose income counts, and how much
The limits are monthly figures, and the state’s two columns split by household: one person or a married couple. The page says “not all earned income” from wages counts toward eligibility, and it does not spell out which part is left out.
That matters for a retiree who also works part time. A Social Security check alone can sit just under a line, and a paycheck may or may not push it over. The application is where the state applies its own count, so the table is a starting point and not a final answer.
How a Connecticut applicant files
Applications go through the state’s online portal at connect.ct.gov, under “Apply for Benefits,” or on paper. The state’s apply page lists the Medicare Savings Program application, form W-1QMB, which can be dropped off at a local DSS regional office. A broader W-1E application covers the program together with SNAP and other benefits.
The program is paid for with Medicaid money, and DSS pays the Part B premium each month for qualifying enrollees, according to the program’s main page. Someone may also authorize another person to complete the paperwork, and has the right to a copy of the finished application.
Is monthly income under $3,272 for one person?
A single Connecticut applicant under that line can ask for ALMB, with the funding limit in mind.
Income only a little above $3,272 a month puts a single Connecticut applicant outside ALMB, and the Part B premium then keeps coming out of the check in full. A one-time event, such as a retirement or a spouse’s death, can change the income count that sets other Medicare costs too.
Cut Your Medicare Bill puts 2026 Medicare costs at a glance on one table, and explains the surcharge appeal with Form SSA-44 after retirement, divorce or a spouse’s death. It also covers the $2,100 drug cap for 2026 and what counts toward it.
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.
