The Utah 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 Utah Medicaid, not by Medicare, and roughly one in three people who qualify never apply. This Utah medicare savings program guide gives the 2026 limits as Utah 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 Utah’s own rules; they reset each spring when the new guidelines take effect.
In This Utah Medicare Savings Program Guide:
Utah 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 Utah calls the levels | Utah keeps the familiar federal names and groups them on its website under the heading “Medicare Cost-Sharing Programs.” The three levels are the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary program (QMB), the Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary program (SLMB), and the Qualifying Individuals program (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 State of Utah, not by Medicare or Social Security. |
The Three Levels of the Utah 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.
Utah labels: Utah keeps the familiar federal names and groups them on its website under the heading “Medicare Cost-Sharing Programs.” The three levels are the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary program (QMB), the Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary program (SLMB), and the Qualifying Individuals program (QI).. Whatever the name, one application covers all three; the office places you at the highest level you qualify for.
Utah 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. Utah’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.
Utah uses Supplemental Security Income counting rules for the Medicare cost-sharing programs, so the state looks at gross monthly income such as Social Security, pensions, annuities, wages and interest, then subtracts standard disregards before comparing the result to the limit. Certain income is excluded outright, and a general disregard is applied to unearned income before any earned-income deduction.
A spouse living in the home is normally counted, and the couple is measured against the couple figure. Income of a spouse who receives SSI is not counted against the other spouse.
Utah treats the three levels differently. For QMB, Utah’s rules state that coverage begins the first day of the month after the month the eligibility agency decides the person qualifies, and there is no retroactive QMB assistance — this is a federal design, not a Utah penalty.
For SLMB and QI, Utah can pay Part B premiums for months before the application month if the person met all rules in those months. The precise number of prior months Utah allows for SLMB and QI is UNVERIFIED here; ask DWS.
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 Utah SHIP. This one protection is worth more than the premium for anyone with regular hospital or specialist care.
Utah Medicare Savings Program and Part D Extra Help
Being approved for QMB, SLMB or QI in Utah automatically makes a person “deemed eligible” for the Medicare Part D Low-Income Subsidy, which is commonly called Extra Help. The state reports the approval to the federal government, Social Security and the Medicare drug plan are notified, and no separate Extra Help application is required.
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Anyone who has not yet been approved for a Utah savings program, or who is unsure, can still apply for Extra Help directly with the Social Security Administration at ssa.gov or by calling 1-800-772-1213.
Utah Prescription Help Beyond Medicare
NONE. — Utah runs its own drug-cost program for seniors alongside Extra Help. Ask The application is taken by the State of Utah, not by Medicare or Social Security. or the SHIP whether you qualify for both.
How to Apply for the Utah Medicare Savings Program
Where: The application is taken by the State of Utah, not by Medicare or Social Security. — application. Free help: Utah’s State Health Insurance Assistance Program is called the Senior Health Insurance Information Program, usually shortened to SHIP, and it is run through the Utah Department of Health and Human Services Division of Aging and Adult Services with local counselors 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 Utah 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 Utah Medicare Savings Program Calendar
New federal poverty guidelines are published in January or February; states adopt the new Utah 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 Utah 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 Utah 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 Utah 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 Utah 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
- Utah Medicare Savings Programs: https://medicaid.utah.gov/medicare-cost-sharing-programs/ is the single best official page. It is Utah Medicaid’s own description of QMB, SLMB and QI, including the point that these are cost-sharing programs rather than full Medicaid and that QI is limited to people not receiving Medicaid. Pair it with https://medicaid.utah.gov/apply-medicaid/ and https://jobs.utah.gov/mycase/ when it is time to actually file the application, and call the DWS or SHIP numbers above if anything on the page is unclear.
- The application is taken by the State of Utah, not by Medicare or Social Security.
- Medicaid.gov spousal impoverishment standards: medicaid.gov
- Medicare.gov Medicare Savings Programs: medicare.gov
This Utah 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.