The New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire Medicaid, not by Medicare, and roughly one in three people who qualify never apply. This New Hampshire medicare savings program guide gives the 2026 limits as New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire’s own rules; they reset each spring when the new guidelines take effect.
In This New Hampshire Medicare Savings Program Guide:
New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire calls the levels | New Hampshire’s Department of Health and Human Services groups these benefits under the umbrella name Medicare Beneficiaries Savings Program. |
| Part B premium it can pay | $202.90 per month in 2026 |
| State prescription program | New Hampshire does not appear to operate an active State Pharmaceutical Assistance Program for seniors today. |
| Where to apply | The application goes to the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, not to Medicare or the Social Security Administration. |
The Three Levels of the New Hampshire 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.
New Hampshire labels: New Hampshire’s Department of Health and Human Services groups these benefits under the umbrella name Medicare Beneficiaries Savings Program.. Whatever the name, one application covers all three; the office places you at the highest level you qualify for.
New Hampshire 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. New Hampshire’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.
New Hampshire counts the available income of the applicant and, if the couple lives together, the spouse’s income as well, so a husband’s or wife’s Social Security or pension generally does count. The state then subtracts certain allowable disregards and expenses before comparing the remainder to the program’s net income standard, meaning gross income on a benefit letter is not the figure the caseworker actually uses.
Applicants must be entitled to the relevant part of Medicare as verified by Social Security. Specific dollar figures and disregard amounts: UNVERIFIED.
New Hampshire does allow a request for retroactive coverage for a limited period immediately preceding the month of application, and its eligibility manual addresses retroactive assistance for SLMB, SLMB135, and QDWI specifically. The request generally must be made within a limited window after the retroactive period begins, so families should ask for it at the time they apply rather than later.
QMB is treated differently and typically begins prospectively after the determination. The exact number of retroactive months and the request deadline: UNVERIFIED.
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 New Hampshire SHIP. This one protection is worth more than the premium for anyone with regular hospital or specialist care.
New Hampshire Medicare Savings Program and Part D Extra Help
A separate Extra Help application is not required. Once New Hampshire DHHS approves someone for QMB, SLMB, or SLMB135, the state reports that enrollment to the federal government and the person is automatically deemed eligible for the Medicare Part D Low-Income Subsidy, commonly called Extra Help, which lowers drug plan premiums and copays.
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The pathway also runs the other direction: people who file an Extra Help application at a Social Security office may consent to have that data sent to DHHS to be screened for the state programs.
New Hampshire Prescription Help Beyond Medicare
New Hampshire does not appear to operate an active State Pharmaceutical Assistance Program for seniors today. — New Hampshire runs its own drug-cost program for seniors alongside Extra Help. Ask The application goes to the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, not to Medicare or the Social Security Administration. or the SHIP whether you qualify for both.
How to Apply for the New Hampshire Medicare Savings Program
Where: The application goes to the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, not to Medicare or the Social Security Administration. — application. Free help: New Hampshire’s State Health Insurance Assistance Program is delivered through ServiceLink, the state’s Aging and Disability Resource Center network, run under the Department of Health and Human 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 New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire Medicare Savings Program Calendar
New federal poverty guidelines are published in January or February; states adopt the new New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire 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
- New Hampshire Medicare Savings Programs: https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/programs-services/medicaid/nh-medicaid-medical-assistance-eligibility/medicare-beneficiaries is the single best official page, titled Medicare Beneficiaries Savings Program, on the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services site. It describes QMB, SLMB, and SLMB135, states who must be enrolled in which part of Medicare, and links to NH EASY for online filing. For the underlying rules a caseworker follows, DHHS also publishes its Adult Assistance Manual online at dhhs.nh.gov, including the sections on SLMB and SLMB135 and on retroactive assistance.
- The application goes to the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, not to Medicare or the Social Security Administration.
- Medicaid.gov spousal impoverishment standards: medicaid.gov
- Medicare.gov Medicare Savings Programs: medicare.gov
This New Hampshire 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.