The Connecticut 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 Connecticut Medicaid, not by Medicare, and roughly one in three people who qualify never apply. This Connecticut medicare savings program guide gives the 2026 limits as Connecticut 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 Connecticut’s own rules; they reset each spring when the new guidelines take effect.
In This Connecticut Medicare Savings Program Guide:
Connecticut Medicare Savings Program at a Glance (2026)
| 2026 income limits (single) | QMB $2,752 / SLMB $3,013 / QI (ALMB) $3,209 (single) |
| 2026 asset test | None — Connecticut does not count savings for these programs |
| What Connecticut calls the levels | Connecticut runs all three levels under one umbrella name, the Medicare Savings Program, which the Department of Social Services abbreviates MSP. |
| Part B premium it can pay | $202.90 per month in 2026 |
| State prescription program | Connecticut’s state pharmaceutical assistance program is ConnPACE, the Connecticut Pharmaceutical Assistance Contract to the Elderly and the Disabled, administered by the Department of Social Services under state law. |
| Where to apply | The application goes to the Connecticut Department of Social Services (DSS), the state Medicaid agency, and not to Medicare or Social Security. |
The Three Levels of the Connecticut 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.
Connecticut labels: Connecticut runs all three levels under one umbrella name, the Medicare Savings Program, which the Department of Social Services abbreviates MSP.. Whatever the name, one application covers all three; the office places you at the highest level you qualify for.
Connecticut 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. Connecticut’s figures: QMB $2,752 / SLMB $3,013 / QI (ALMB) $3,209 (single).
Assets: none counted. Connecticut is one of the states that dropped the asset test, so a paid-off house, savings or a second car do not disqualify you.
DSS looks at gross monthly income before deductions. It counts Social Security benefits, pensions and annuities, interest or other earnings on money in the bank, and wages from any work you still do, and a portion of earned income is set aside rather than counted.
If you are married and living together, DSS counts your income and your spouse’s income together and measures them against the couple figure, even when the spouse is not yet on Medicare. Connecticut does not apply an asset or resource test to these programs.
Connecticut does allow some coverage for months before DSS receives your application, but it works differently by level. For the SLMB and ALMB levels, DSS may pay or reimburse Medicare Part B premiums for a limited number of months immediately preceding the month the application was received, provided you would have qualified in those months. QMB is generally prospective and begins after DSS approves the case rather than reaching backward.
The exact number of retroactive months is UNVERIFIED here and should be taken from our verified data 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 Connecticut SHIP. This one protection is worth more than the premium for anyone with regular hospital or specialist care.
Connecticut Medicare Savings Program and Part D Extra Help
Approval for any of the three Connecticut levels — QMB, SLMB or ALMB — automatically qualifies you for the federal Medicare Part D Low-Income Subsidy, commonly called Extra Help, which lowers drug plan premiums, deductibles and copayments. You do not file a separate Extra Help application with Social Security; DSS reports your approval and the Social Security Administration and Medicare deem you eligible.
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DSS explains this link in its own MSP brochure. Approval also enrolls you in a Part D plan if you do not already have one.
Connecticut Prescription Help Beyond Medicare
Connecticut’s state pharmaceutical assistance program is ConnPACE, the Connecticut Pharmaceutical Assistance Contract to the Elderly and the Disabled, administered by the Department of Social Services under state law. — Connecticut runs its own drug-cost program for seniors alongside Extra Help. Ask The application goes to the Connecticut Department of Social Services (DSS), the state Medicaid agency, and not to Medicare or Social Security. or the SHIP whether you qualify for both.
How to Apply for the Connecticut Medicare Savings Program
Where: The application goes to the Connecticut Department of Social Services (DSS), the state Medicaid agency, and not to Medicare or Social Security. — application. Free help: Connecticut’s State Health Insurance Assistance Program is called CHOICES, a partnership of the Department of Aging and Disability Services and the state’s Area Agencies on Aging..
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 Connecticut 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 Connecticut Medicare Savings Program Calendar
New federal poverty guidelines are published in January or February; states adopt the new Connecticut 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 Connecticut 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 Connecticut 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 Connecticut 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 Connecticut 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
- Connecticut Medicare Savings Programs: https://portal.ct.gov/dss/health-and-home-care/medicare-savings-program/medicare-savings-program is the single best starting page. It is the Department of Social Services’ own Medicare Savings Program hub, with sub-pages for eligibility, how to apply, required documents, frequently asked questions and related resources, plus the DSS MSP brochure. Everything a family needs — the W-1QMB form, the mailing address and the DSS phone number — can be reached from that one page.
- The application goes to the Connecticut Department of Social Services (DSS), the state Medicaid agency, and not to Medicare or Social Security.
- Medicaid.gov spousal impoverishment standards: medicaid.gov
- Medicare.gov Medicare Savings Programs: medicare.gov
This Connecticut 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.