The New York 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 York Medicaid, not by Medicare, and roughly one in three people who qualify never apply. This New York medicare savings program guide gives the 2026 limits as New York 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 York’s own rules; they reset each spring when the new guidelines take effect.
In This New York Medicare Savings Program Guide:
New York Medicare Savings Program at a Glance (2026)
| 2026 income limits (single) | QMB $1,856 / QI $2,494 (single; SLMB eliminated 2023) |
| 2026 asset test | None — New York does not count savings for these programs |
| What New York calls the levels | New York uses the federal names for these programs. |
| Part B premium it can pay | $202.90 per month in 2026 |
| State prescription program | Yes. New York runs the Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage program, known as EPIC, administered by the New York State Department of Health. |
| Where to apply | The application is taken by the Medicaid program, not by Medicare or Social Security. |
The Three Levels of the New York 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 York labels: New York uses the federal names for these programs.. Whatever the name, one application covers all three; the office places you at the highest level you qualify for.
New York 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 York’s figures: QMB $1,856 / QI $2,494 (single; SLMB eliminated 2023).
Assets: none counted. New York is one of the states that dropped the asset test, so a paid-off house, savings or a second car do not disqualify you.
New York looks at gross monthly income, counting Social Security benefits, pensions, wages, and most other regular income, then applies the standard Medicaid disregards, including the general income disregard borrowed from the SSI rules and an earned-income allowance for people who still work. The income of a spouse who lives in the same household is normally counted, and the couple is measured against the standard for a two-person household.
New York also recognizes spousal refusal, which can change how a spouse’s income is treated. Exact figures are UNVERIFIED here.
The two levels behave differently, and this surprises families. QMB is not retroactive: by federal rule it begins the first day of the month after the local district makes its determination, so premiums already paid before then are not refunded under QMB.
QI can reimburse Part B premiums that were withheld from Social Security checks for a limited stretch of months before the effective date, generally only within the same calendar year. Applicants asking for that reimbursement must send proof of income for those earlier months. The exact number of months is 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 York SHIP. This one protection is worth more than the premium for anyone with regular hospital or specialist care.
New York Medicare Savings Program and Part D Extra Help
Enrollment in a Medicare Savings Program automatically qualifies the person for Medicare Part D Extra Help, also called the Low-Income Subsidy. No second application is needed and nothing has to be filed with the Social Security Administration. New York reports MSP enrollees to the federal government, and Medicare then “deems” the person eligible, mailing a notice and, if needed, assigning a Part D drug plan.
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Someone who is turned down for MSP can still apply for Extra Help separately through Social Security, which uses its own rules.
New York Prescription Help Beyond Medicare
Yes. New York runs the Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage program, known as EPIC, administered by the New York State Department of Health. — New York runs its own drug-cost program for seniors alongside Extra Help. Ask The application is taken by the Medicaid program, not by Medicare or Social Security. or the SHIP whether you qualify for both.
How to Apply for the New York Medicare Savings Program
Where: The application is taken by the Medicaid program, not by Medicare or Social Security. — application. Free help: New York’s State Health Insurance Assistance Program is called HIICAP, the Health Insurance Information, Counseling and Assistance Program, run by the New York State Office for the Aging through local Offices for the Aging in every county..
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 York 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 York Medicare Savings Program Calendar
New federal poverty guidelines are published in January or February; states adopt the new New York 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 York 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 York 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 York 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 York 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 York Medicare Savings Programs: https://www.health.ny.gov/health_care/medicaid/program/update/savingsprogram/ is the single best starting point, the Department of Health’s Medicare Savings Program page, which links to the current-year eligibility page at https://www.health.ny.gov/health_care/medicaid/program/update/savingsprogram/medicaresavingsprogram.htm and to the DOH-4328 application. Families who want a plain-language walkthrough before calling the county office may also find the Office for the Aging’s HIICAP notebook module on Medicare Savings Programs helpful, posted at https://aging.ny.gov/hiicap-notebook-medicare-savings-programs.
- The application is taken by the Medicaid program, not by Medicare or Social Security.
- Medicaid.gov spousal impoverishment standards: medicaid.gov
- Medicare.gov Medicare Savings Programs: medicare.gov
This New York 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.