Medicare and health costs

QI (Qualifying Individual)

The Qualifying Individual (QI) program is a Medicare Savings Program that pays your Part B premium. It's for people whose income is above the SLMB limit, and it also brings Extra Help with drug costs. States approve it first-come, first-served, and you must apply every year.

Checked Oct 28, 2026

Rules set by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

An older woman in her kitchen reads a letter from the day's mail

Who may qualify

Who may qualify for QI (Qualifying Individual)
	One person	Married couple
QI income limit (2026)	$1,816 a month	$2,455 a month
Savings limit (2026)	$9,950	$14,910

Medicare you need	Both Part A and Part B
Other Medicaid	You can't get QI if you qualify for any other Medicaid coverage or benefits, but another Medicare Savings Program may help
Savings that don't count	Your home, one car, a burial plot, up to $1,500 set aside for burial, furniture and other household items

Source: Medicare.gov (source 1)

What you may get

What QI (Qualifying Individual) pays
Part B premium paid for you (2026 standard amount)	$202.90 a month Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (source 2)
What QI pays	Your Part B premium only Source: Medicare.gov (source 1)
Extra Help with drug costs	Comes with it. In 2026 you pay no more than $12.65 for each covered drug Source: Medicare.gov (source 1)

Dates, renewals and waiting lists

Dates and renewals
Renewal	You must apply every year to stay in QI
How approvals are made	First-come, first-served. People who got QI the year before get priority

Source: Medicare.gov (source 1)

Good to know

You apply through your state, and your state may allow more income or savings than the federal limits shown here. Income limits are slightly higher in Alaska and Hawaii.
To get the phone number for your state's Medicaid office, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048.
If you apply for Extra Help through Social Security, it sends your information to your state to start a Medicare Savings Program application, unless you tell it not to.

Sources: Medicare.gov (source 1), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (source 3)

What people get wrong

MythOnce I'm approved for QI, it renews by itself.
Not true. You must apply every year, and states approve QI first-come, first-served, with priority for people who had it the year before.
MythI own my home and a car, so my savings are too high.
Not true. States don't count your home, one car, a burial plot, up to $1,500 set aside for burial, or your furniture and household items.
MythI'd have to apply separately for help with drug costs.
No. If your state pays your Part B premium through a Medicare Savings Program, you get Extra Help with drug costs automatically.

Sources

Medicare.gov, Medicare Savings Programs (official government site). Checked Oct 28, 2026.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2026 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles (official government site). Checked Oct 28, 2026.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Medicare & You 2027 (the official Medicare handbook) (official government site). Checked Oct 28, 2026.
Medicare.gov, Help with drug costs (official government site). Checked Oct 28, 2026.

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