Montana Medicare Savings Program 2026: QMB, SLMB and QI Limits

The Montana 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 Montana Medicaid, not by Medicare, and roughly one in three people who qualify never apply. This Montana medicare savings program guide gives the 2026 limits as Montana 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 Montana’s own rules; they reset each spring when the new guidelines take effect.

Montana Medicare Savings Program at a Glance (2026)

The Three Levels of the Montana 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.

Montana labels: Montana does not rename these programs.. Whatever the name, one application covers all three; the office places you at the highest level you qualify for.

Montana 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. Montana’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.

Montana counts income using the Supplemental Security Income methodology that applies to its Aged, Blind, and Disabled Medicaid, not the tax-based method used for regular Medicaid. That means a general disregard is subtracted from income of any kind, and a further portion of money earned from work is set aside before the rest is counted.

If a married couple lives together, the spouse’s income is generally considered along with the applicant’s. Montana also disregards the annual Social Security cost-of-living increase until the new program standards take effect for that year.

Montana does allow coverage to begin before the approval date for some of these programs, but the rules differ by program. For QMB, help with premiums and cost sharing starts prospectively, in the month after the state approves the case, so there is no back payment for earlier months.

SLMB and QI can be backdated to earlier months when the person already met every requirement during those months, and the applicant must ask for that retroactive period rather than assume it. The exact number of months is UNVERIFIED here.

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 Montana SHIP. This one protection is worth more than the premium for anyone with regular hospital or specialist care.

Montana Medicare Savings Program and Part D Extra Help

Enrollment in any Medicare Savings Program in Montana automatically qualifies the person for the Medicare Part D Low-Income Subsidy, commonly called Extra Help, which lowers drug plan premiums and prescription copays. DPHHS reports approved cases to the Social Security Administration, and Social Security then treats the person as deemed eligible without a second application. No separate Extra Help form is required once QMB, SLMB, or QI is approved.

Someone who does not qualify for an MSP may still apply for Extra Help directly with Social Security at https://www.ssa.gov/medicare/part-d-extra-help.

Montana Prescription Help Beyond Medicare

Montana does run a state pharmaceutical assistance program, and its exact name is Big Sky Rx. — Montana runs its own drug-cost program for seniors alongside Extra Help. Ask The application goes to the state Medicaid agency, not to Medicare or Social Security. or the SHIP whether you qualify for both.

How to Apply for the Montana Medicare Savings Program

Where: The application goes to the state Medicaid agency, not to Medicare or Social Security. — application. Free help: Free, unbiased help is available from the Montana State Health Insurance Assistance Program, known as SHIP, which counsels people with Medicare and their families and caregivers at no cost..

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 Montana 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 Montana Medicare Savings Program Calendar

New federal poverty guidelines are published in January or February; states adopt the new Montana 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 Montana 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 Montana 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 Montana 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 Montana 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

• Montana Medicare Savings Programs: https://dphhs.mt.gov/assets/hcsd/mamanual/ABD201.8.pdf
• The application goes to the state Medicaid agency, not to Medicare or Social Security.
• Medicaid.gov spousal impoverishment standards: medicaid.gov
• Medicare.gov Medicare Savings Programs: medicare.gov

This Montana 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.

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