The Kansas 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 Kansas Medicaid, not by Medicare, and roughly one in three people who qualify never apply. This Kansas medicare savings program guide gives the 2026 limits as Kansas 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 Kansas’s own rules; they reset each spring when the new guidelines take effect.
In This Kansas Medicare Savings Program Guide:
Kansas 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 | Federal ($9,950 single / $14,910 couple) |
| What Kansas calls the levels | Kansas covers the same three federal levels but uses its own labels in state policy and on state forms. |
| Part B premium it can pay | $202.90 per month in 2026 |
| State prescription program | NONE. |
| Where to apply | The application goes to Kansas Medicaid, not to Medicare or Social Security. |
The Three Levels of the Kansas 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.
Kansas labels: Kansas covers the same three federal levels but uses its own labels in state policy and on state forms.. Whatever the name, one application covers all three; the office places you at the highest level you qualify for.
Kansas 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. Kansas’s figures: Federal (QMB $1,350 / SLMB $1,616 / QI $1,816 single; $1,824 / $2,184 / $2,455 couple).
Assets: Federal ($9,950 single / $14,910 couple). The home, one vehicle, household goods and burial funds up to $1,500 do not count.
Kansas counts income using the rules that follow Supplemental Security Income methodology, so the state looks at the gross Social Security benefit before the Part B premium is taken out, plus pensions, wages, interest and similar money coming in each month. Standard disregards are applied to unearned and earned income before the state compares the remainder to the limit.
If you live with a spouse, that spouse’s income is counted with yours and the household is measured against the couple figure. Certain assistance payments and reimbursements are excluded; the exact list is UNVERIFIED.
Kansas follows federal law here, and the answer differs by program. QMB cannot be backdated at all — coverage starts prospectively, in the month after KanCare approves you, which is the single best reason to apply as soon as you think you might qualify rather than waiting.
For LMB and ELMB, Kansas can approve a limited period of prior months if you already met the rules during those months; the exact number of months allowed is UNVERIFIED and should be confirmed with the KanCare Clearinghouse.
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 Kansas SHIP. This one protection is worth more than the premium for anyone with regular hospital or specialist care.
Kansas Medicare Savings Program and Part D Extra Help
This is the part families most often miss. Once Kansas approves you for any Medicare Savings Program level, the state reports that enrollment to the federal government and you are automatically deemed eligible for the Part D Low-Income Subsidy, better known as Extra Help, which lowers your prescription drug plan premium and copays. You do not have to file a separate Extra Help application with Social Security to get it.
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The Kansas ES-3100.8 form itself doubles as a Medicare Part D subsidy application, so one form covers both.
Kansas Prescription Help Beyond Medicare
NONE. — Kansas runs its own drug-cost program for seniors alongside Extra Help. Ask The application goes to Kansas Medicaid, not to Medicare or Social Security. or the SHIP whether you qualify for both.
How to Apply for the Kansas Medicare Savings Program
Where: The application goes to Kansas Medicaid, not to Medicare or Social Security. — application. Free help: The free counseling program is Senior Health Insurance Counseling for Kansas, known as SHICK, and it is administered by the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services..
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 Kansas 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 Kansas Medicare Savings Program Calendar
New federal poverty guidelines are published in January or February; states adopt the new Kansas 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 Kansas 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 Kansas 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 Kansas 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 a Kansas 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
- Kansas Medicare Savings Programs
- The application goes to Kansas Medicaid, not to Medicare or Social Security.
- Medicaid.gov spousal impoverishment standards: medicaid.gov
- Medicare.gov Medicare Savings Programs: medicare.gov
This Kansas 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.