Medicare.gov has not published 2027 income limits for the Medicare Savings Programs, the state-run programs that can pay a beneficiary’s Part B premium. The program page still carries a single set of limits, and it labels them 2026. Open Enrollment begins Oct. 15, two weeks from now, so beneficiaries are approaching the decision window without a published threshold for next year.
Medicare Savings Programs, 2027 limits. The Medicare Cost & Coverage Protection Kit includes 51 state Medicare cost-help packs, aimed at the part the federal page leaves to each state: how to apply.
See the state pack for the Medicare premium-help application →
Four programs, one page, no 2027 figures
The Medicare Savings Programs page on Medicare.gov lists four programs: Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB), Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB), Qualifying Individual (QI) and Qualified Disabled and Working Individuals (QDWI). Each has its own monthly income limit and resource limit, shown separately for an individual and for a married couple. Every one of those figures on the page is a 2026 figure.
The page contains no reference to 2027. It states only that “these limits go up each year.” It also carries no last-updated date, so a reader cannot tell from the page when the 2026 table was posted or when a 2027 table is expected. That absence is the news: for a program whose eligibility turns on exact dollar lines, the year-ahead lines are not yet available from the federal source.
What the programs pay for
The programs differ in how much they cover. According to Medicare.gov, QMB covers Part A premiums, Part B premiums, deductibles, coinsurance and copayments. SLMB pays Part B premiums only, QI also helps with Part B premiums, and QDWI covers Part A premiums only. For a beneficiary who qualifies, the Part B premium is a monthly cost that comes out of a Social Security check, which is why the premium-help programs matter to people on fixed incomes.
Medicare.gov also publishes the latest Part D numbers while the Savings Program limits remain unpublished. The site’s drug-costs page already lists 2027 Extra Help copays of $5.80 for generic drugs and $14.40 for brand-name drugs. The contrast is the inconsistency: one low-income help program has next year’s figures online and the other does not.
Open Enrollment opens Oct. 15
Medicare’s joining-a-plan page gives the Open Enrollment window as October 15 to December 7. Coverage starts January 1 of the next year, and the plan must receive the request to join by December 7. A beneficiary who is close to a Savings Program line has a reason to settle the question around the time plan choices are being made, since premium help changes what a plan year costs.
The Medicare Savings Programs are not part of Open Enrollment, and no sources tie their application to that window. Applications run through the state, and the page says as much: “These programs are run by your state. Contact your state to apply.” The October date is a planning marker for plan choices rather than a filing deadline for premium help.
The free official route
Applying is free, and it is done directly with the state. Medicare’s own line, 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227; TTY 1-877-486-2048), can point a caller to the right state office. The State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) offers free counseling on Medicare questions, and the state Medicaid office takes the application itself. Neither route charges a fee, and neither requires a paid service.
Why the 2026 table cannot be used to measure 2027 eligibility
The first difficulty is the missing year. The limits on Medicare.gov are labelled 2026, the page says they rise each year, and no 2027 table is posted. A beneficiary who falls just above a 2026 line may fall below the 2027 one, and a beneficiary just under may need to confirm that status again. Neither can be settled from the page as it stands today.
The second difficulty is that the programs are state-run. Medicare.gov’s instruction is to contact the state to apply, so the application, the office that handles it and the way a state treats a given household are the state’s to set. A single federal table does not replace asking that state which limits and which form apply to the household. Both the limits and the application need checking against Medicare.gov’s live page and the state before any plan is chosen around them.
Until the 2027 table appears, the sound step is to call 1-800-MEDICARE, the State Health Insurance Assistance Program or the state Medicaid office. All three are free, and applying through the state costs nothing.
State limits and applications for Medicare premium help
The Medicare Savings Programs page on Medicare.gov carries 2026 limits only, and the programs are applied for through each state. With Open Enrollment opening Oct. 15, the unfinished job for a beneficiary is working out how the state route is set up and keeping the paperwork in order.
The Medicare Cost & Coverage Protection Kit pairs 51 state Medicare cost-help packs with a medication and cost tracker for keeping a household’s figures in one place.
Start lining up a state premium-help application before Open Enrollment opens Oct. 15 →
This article was produced with AI assistance and checked against the primary 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.
