The Tennessee 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 Tennessee Medicaid, not by Medicare, and roughly one in three people who qualify never apply. This Tennessee medicare savings program guide gives the 2026 limits as Tennessee 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 Tennessee’s own rules; they reset each spring when the new guidelines take effect.
In This Tennessee Medicare Savings Program Guide:
Tennessee 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 Tennessee calls the levels | Tennessee does not rename these benefits. |
| Part B premium it can pay | $202.90 per month in 2026 |
| State prescription program | NONE for Medicare beneficiaries. Tennessee does not operate a state pharmaceutical assistance program of the kind some states run for seniors on Medicare. |
| Where to apply | The application goes to the Division of TennCare, the state Medicaid agency — not to Medicare or the Social Security Administration. |
The Three Levels of the Tennessee 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.
Tennessee labels: Tennessee does not rename these benefits.. Whatever the name, one application covers all three; the office places you at the highest level you qualify for.
Tennessee 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. Tennessee’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.
TennCare counts income for the Medicare Savings Programs under its Aged, Blind and Disabled rules, which follow the Supplemental Security Income methodology used by the Social Security Administration rather than the tax-based method used for younger adults. Social Security retirement and disability checks are ordinarily counted, while SSI payments themselves are not counted as income. TennCare’s manuals apply standard SSI disregards before comparing income to the limit.
Financial responsibility runs spouse to spouse, so a husband’s or wife’s income is considered through deeming when the couple lives together. Figures: UNVERIFIED.
The three programs do not start at the same point. Tennessee follows the federal rule under which QMB coverage begins prospectively, taking effect the month after the eligibility decision is made, so QMB generally does not pay back a person’s earlier Medicare costs.
SLMB and QI can be approved for months before the application when the person already met every requirement in those months, which can produce a refund of Part B premiums already withheld. The exact number of months allowed: UNVERIFIED — always ask TennCare Connect to consider prior months.
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 Tennessee SHIP. This one protection is worth more than the premium for anyone with regular hospital or specialist care.
Tennessee Medicare Savings Program and Part D Extra Help
Enrolling in any Medicare Savings Program in Tennessee automatically qualifies the person for the full Medicare Part D low-income subsidy, known as Extra Help. TennCare reports the approval to the federal government, which “deems” the person eligible and mails a purple or yellow notice confirming it, so no separate Extra Help application is required once an MSP is approved.
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Someone whose MSP application is still pending or denied may apply for Extra Help directly with the Social Security Administration, since Extra Help uses its own, more generous rules.
Tennessee Prescription Help Beyond Medicare
NONE for Medicare beneficiaries. Tennessee does not operate a state pharmaceutical assistance program of the kind some states run for seniors on Medicare. — Tennessee runs its own drug-cost program for seniors alongside Extra Help. Ask The application goes to the Division of TennCare, the state Medicaid agency — not to Medicare or the Social Security Administration. or the SHIP whether you qualify for both.
How to Apply for the Tennessee Medicare Savings Program
Where: The application goes to the Division of TennCare, the state Medicaid agency — not to Medicare or the Social Security Administration. — application. Free help: Free, unbiased, one-on-one help is available from the Tennessee State Health Insurance Assistance Program, published as TN SHIP, which is run through the state’s Department of Disability and Aging and delivered locally by the Area Agencies on Aging and Disability..
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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee Medicare Savings Program Calendar
New federal poverty guidelines are published in January or February; states adopt the new Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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
- Tennessee Medicare Savings Programs: https://www.tn.gov/tenncare/members-applicants/eligibility.html — the TennCare eligibility page that describes the Medicare Savings Program categories, including QMB, SLMB and QI-1, and links onward to the application. Two companion state pages are worth keeping alongside it: the application instructions at https://www.tn.gov/tenncare/members-applicants/how-do-i-apply-for-tenncare.html and the TN SHIP page at https://www.tn.gov/disability-and-aging/disability-aging-programs/tn-ship.html. TennCare also publishes its detailed Medicare Savings Programs policy manuals as PDFs under https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/tenncare/documents/ for readers who want the underlying eligibility rules.
- The application goes to the Division of TennCare, the state Medicaid agency — not to Medicare or the Social Security Administration.
- Medicaid.gov spousal impoverishment standards: medicaid.gov
- Medicare.gov Medicare Savings Programs: medicare.gov
This Tennessee 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.