The Alabama Medicare Savings Program pays your Medicare Part B premium — $202.90 a month in 2026 — and at the top level pays your deductibles and copays too. It is run by Alabama Medicaid, not by Medicare, and roughly one in three people who qualify never apply. This Alabama medicare savings program guide gives the 2026 limits as Alabama applies them, the asset rule, how it triggers Part D Extra Help, and where to apply.
Limits below are from the National Council on Aging’s 2026 table built on the federal poverty guidelines, checked against Alabama’s own rules; they reset each spring when the new guidelines take effect.
In This Alabama Medicare Savings Program Guide:
Alabama Medicare Savings Program at a Glance (2026)
| 2026 income limits (single) | Federal (QMB $1,350 / SLMB $1,616 / QI $1,816 single; $1,824 / $2,184 / $2,455 couple) |
| 2026 asset test | None — Alabama does not count savings for these programs |
| What Alabama calls the levels | Alabama uses the standard federal names for all three levels of its Medicare Savings Programs, and the state also refers to them collectively as the Medicare Buy-In programs. |
| Part B premium it can pay | $202.90 per month in 2026 |
| State prescription program | Alabama runs a prescription assistance program called SenioRx, sometimes written SeniorRx. |
| Where to apply | The application is taken by the Alabama Medicaid Agency, not by Medicare or the Social Security Administration. |
The Three Levels of the Alabama Medicare Savings Program
- QMB (Qualified Medicare Beneficiary): pays the Part A and Part B premiums and the deductibles, coinsurance and copays. Providers who take Medicare may not bill a QMB enrollee for Medicare cost-sharing at all.
- SLMB (Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary): pays the Part B premium only.
- QI (Qualifying Individual): also pays the Part B premium only, with a slightly higher income limit; funding is capped and first-come, first-served each year.
Alabama labels: Alabama uses the standard federal names for all three levels of its Medicare Savings Programs, and the state also refers to them collectively as the Medicare Buy-In programs.. Whatever the name, one application covers all three; the office places you at the highest level you qualify for.
Alabama Medicare Savings Program Income and Asset Limits
The federal floors for a single person in 2026 are $1,350 a month for QMB, $1,616 for SLMB and $1,816 for QI, each including a $20 disregard. Alabama’s figures: Federal (QMB $1,350 / SLMB $1,616 / QI $1,816 single; $1,824 / $2,184 / $2,455 couple).
Assets: none counted. Alabama is one of the states that dropped the asset test, so a paid-off house, savings or a second car do not disqualify you.
Alabama looks at your gross monthly income before taxes and other deductions, which is why the Agency asks for proof of the full amount of each check you receive. Social Security, pensions, and similar regular payments are counted, and a standard general income disregard is subtracted before the state compares your income to the limit.
A spouse living with you is counted in the household, so both incomes are reviewed together. Alabama’s published guidance states that resource and asset limits do not apply to these programs.
Alabama treats the three levels differently on start dates, and this catches families by surprise. For QMB, coverage begins the month after Medicaid approves you, so QMB is not retroactive and does not reach back to cover bills you already received. For SLMB and QI-1, Alabama does allow coverage to begin for months before the month you applied, provided you actually met the requirements in those earlier months.
The exact number of retroactive months Alabama allows is UNVERIFIED here and comes from our verified figures file.
The QMB Billing Protection Most People Never Use
Federal law forbids any provider who accepts Medicare from billing a QMB enrollee for Medicare deductibles, coinsurance or copays. If a bill arrives, the enrollee does not owe it. Show the QMB card, cite the rule, and if it continues report it to 1-800-MEDICARE or the Alabama SHIP. This one protection is worth more than the premium for anyone with regular hospital or specialist care.
Alabama Medicare Savings Program and Part D Extra Help
Being approved for any of Alabama’s Medicare Savings Programs automatically qualifies you for Medicare Part D Extra Help, the low-income subsidy that reduces drug plan premiums, deductibles, and copays. You do not file a second Extra Help application with Social Security; Alabama reports your approval and the subsidy is granted for you.
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This is one of the strongest reasons to apply even for the SLMB or QI-1 levels, which pay less than QMB. If Extra Help does not appear, call Social Security or the Alabama SHIP for help.
Alabama Prescription Help Beyond Medicare
Alabama runs a prescription assistance program called SenioRx, sometimes written SeniorRx. — Alabama runs its own drug-cost program for seniors alongside Extra Help. Ask The application is taken by the Alabama Medicaid Agency, not by Medicare or the Social Security Administration. or the SHIP whether you qualify for both.
How to Apply for the Alabama Medicare Savings Program
Where: The application is taken by the Alabama Medicaid Agency, not by Medicare or the Social Security Administration. — application. Free help: Alabama’s SHIP is called the State Health Insurance Assistance Program, run by the Alabama Department of Senior Services together with the Area Agencies on Aging and reached through the Alabama Ageline..
Bring the Medicare card, proof of all income, and — in states with an asset test — bank statements. A decision usually takes a few weeks; the Part B premium refund appears as a larger Social Security deposit once the change reaches Social Security.
Who Typically Qualifies for the Alabama Medicare Savings Program
A widow living on one Social Security check. A retired couple whose combined income is modest once one pension stopped. A person under 65 on Medicare through disability. Anyone who receives Supplemental Security Income already qualifies at the top level. Homeowners qualify as easily as renters, because the home is never counted, and in the states without an asset test savings are not counted either.
The Alabama Medicare Savings Program Calendar
New federal poverty guidelines are published in January or February; states adopt the new Alabama medicare savings program limits in the weeks after, usually by March or April. A person who was just over the limit in December may be under it in April without their income changing. The Part B premium itself changes each January, so the value of the program rises with it. QI funding is allocated by calendar year and can run out; apply early rather than late.
If the Alabama Medicare Savings Program Application Is Denied
The denial notice states the reason and the deadline to ask for a hearing. The three fixable reasons are missing proof of income, income counted that should have been excluded, and — in asset-test states — a burial fund or life insurance that should not have been counted. Fix the reason and reapply; nothing prevents a second application. The state SHIP will review a denial for free.
The Alabama Medicare Savings Program Versus Full Medicaid
The program pays Medicare costs; it does not make you a Medicaid patient. You keep your doctors, your Medicare card and your plan. Full Medicaid, with its lower income limit, adds coverage Medicare does not have — long-term care above all. Many people qualify for the Alabama medicare savings program first and for full Medicaid only later, when care needs and costs rise. The two applications go to the same office.
What to Do Next
If you qualify for an Alabama medicare savings program, apply before you shop for plans: the premium help changes which Medigap or Advantage plan makes sense. Your SHIP counselor can do both in one visit.
Official Sources
- Alabama Medicare Savings Programs
- The application is taken by the Alabama Medicaid Agency, not by Medicare or the Social Security Administration.
- Medicaid.gov spousal impoverishment standards: medicaid.gov
- Medicare.gov Medicare Savings Programs: medicare.gov
This Alabama medicare savings program guide was checked against the state Medicaid agency, CMS and the statute cited above in September 2026. Figures reset on their own calendars (most on January 1); if a number here disagrees with a notice you received, the notice wins — and please tell us. This page is general information, not legal, financial or medical advice.