The Minnesota 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 Minnesota Medicaid, not by Medicare, and roughly one in three people who qualify never apply. This Minnesota medicare savings program guide gives the 2026 limits as Minnesota 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 Minnesota’s own rules; they reset each spring when the new guidelines take effect.
In This Minnesota Medicare Savings Program Guide:
Minnesota 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 | $10,000 single / $18,000 couple |
| What Minnesota calls the levels | Minnesota uses the standard federal names rather than state-specific ones, so the paperwork will say Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB), Service Limited Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB), and Qualified Individual (QI). |
| Part B premium it can pay | $202.90 per month in 2026 |
| State prescription program | NONE. |
| Where to apply | The application is taken by the Medicaid side of the system, not by Medicare or Social Security, which surprises many families. |
The Three Levels of the Minnesota 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.
Minnesota labels: Minnesota uses the standard federal names rather than state-specific ones, so the paperwork will say Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB), Service Limited Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB), and Qualified Individual (QI).. Whatever the name, one application covers all three; the office places you at the highest level you qualify for.
Minnesota 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. Minnesota’s figures: Federal (QMB $1,350 / SLMB $1,616 / QI $1,816 single; $1,824 / $2,184 / $2,455 couple).
Assets: $10,000 single / $18,000 couple. The home, one vehicle, household goods and burial funds up to $1,500 do not count.
Minnesota counts income for these programs using the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) methodology, the same approach it uses for Medical Assistance for people who are age 65 or older, blind, or have a disability, with a few program-specific differences. The state looks at countable monthly income after applying certain disregards and deductions, which are applied differently for the savings programs than for regular Medical Assistance.
A spouse’s income can be counted through what the state calls deeming when spouses live together. Because specific figures and disregard amounts change annually, treat any number you see elsewhere as UNVERIFIED.
Minnesota’s policy differs by program, which trips up a lot of families. For QMB, coverage begins the first day of the month after eligibility is determined, and there is no retroactive QMB coverage because federal law does not allow it; the only exception is when the agency made an error and coverage should have started sooner.
SLMB and QI can be approved retroactively for prior months when the person actually met the rules during those months. Someone approved for QMB may receive SLMB for the earlier months instead. See https://hcopub.dhs.state.mn.us/epm/4_2_1_6.htm.
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 Minnesota SHIP. This one protection is worth more than the premium for anyone with regular hospital or specialist care.
Minnesota Medicare Savings Program and Part D Extra Help
Enrolling in any of Minnesota’s Medicare Savings Programs automatically makes a person eligible for Medicare Part D Extra Help, also called the Low-Income Subsidy or LIS, and no separate Extra Help application is required.
The Department of Human Services sends enrollment information to the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which then treats the person as deemed eligible and mails a notice explaining the subsidy and which drug plans are available. If someone is not already in a Part D plan, Medicare may assign one. Aging Pathways counselors can confirm the subsidy took effect.
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Minnesota Prescription Help Beyond Medicare
NONE. — Minnesota runs its own drug-cost program for seniors alongside Extra Help. Ask The application is taken by the Medicaid side of the system, not by Medicare or Social Security, which surprises many families. or the SHIP whether you qualify for both.
How to Apply for the Minnesota Medicare Savings Program
Where: The application is taken by the Medicaid side of the system, not by Medicare or Social Security, which surprises many families. — application. Free help: Minnesota’s federally designated State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) is Minnesota Aging Pathways, which was known for many years as the Senior LinkAge Line and is still called that by many older residents..
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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota Medicare Savings Program Calendar
New federal poverty guidelines are published in January or February; states adopt the new Minnesota 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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota 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.
Key Takeaways: Minnesota Medicare Savings Program
- It is a Medicaid program: the Minnesota medicare savings program is applied for at the state Medicaid office, not through Medicare.
Official Sources
- Minnesota Medicare Savings Programs: https://mn.gov/dhs/people-we-serve/seniors/health-care/health-care-programs/programs-and-services/help-with-medicare-costs.jsp is the single best starting page, because it names each program, explains what each one pays toward, and links directly to both the paper application and the online option. Families who want the underlying rules the county worker actually follows can read the Department of Human Services Eligibility Policy Manual section on Medicare Savings Programs at https://hcopub.dhs.state.mn.us/epm/4_2.htm. A parallel Department of Human Services page written for people with disabilities covers the same programs and may be easier for younger Medicare beneficiaries.
- The application is taken by the Medicaid side of the system, not by Medicare or Social Security, which surprises many families.: https://mn.gov/dhs/people-we-serve/seniors/health-care/health-care-programs/programs-and-services/help-with-medicare-costs.jsp is the Department of Human Services page that explains the options and links to the paper form. The paper application is the Minnesota Health Care Programs (MHCP) Application for Certain Populations, form DHS-3876, available at https://edocs.dhs.state.mn.us/lfserver/Public/DHS-3876-ENG and published in English, Hmong, Russian, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Minnesota also accepts online applications and uploaded documents through MNbenefits at https://mnbenefits.mn.gov/. Printable versions are listed at https://mn.gov/dhs/people-we-serve/seniors/health-care/health-care-programs/resources/paper-applications.jsp.
- Medicaid.gov spousal impoverishment standards: medicaid.gov
- Medicare.gov Medicare Savings Programs: medicare.gov
This Minnesota 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.