The Washington 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 Washington Medicaid, not by Medicare, and roughly one in three people who qualify never apply. This Washington medicare savings program guide gives the 2026 limits as Washington 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 Washington’s own rules; they reset each spring when the new guidelines take effect.
In This Washington Medicare Savings Program Guide:
Washington Medicare Savings Program at a Glance (2026)
| 2026 income limits (single) | QMB $1,454 / SLMB $1,585 / QI $1,820 (single) |
| 2026 asset test | None — Washington does not count savings for these programs |
| What Washington calls the levels | Washington uses the standard federal names and calls the whole set the Medicare Savings Programs, administered inside Washington Apple Health, the state’s Medicaid program. |
| Part B premium it can pay | $202.90 per month in 2026 |
| State prescription program | NONE. Washington does not operate a state pharmaceutical assistance program of the kind that pays Part D premiums or copays for seniors. |
| Where to apply | The application is taken by the state Medicaid side, not by Medicare or a Medicare plan. |
The Three Levels of the Washington 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.
Washington labels: Washington uses the standard federal names and calls the whole set the Medicare Savings Programs, administered inside Washington Apple Health, the state’s Medicaid program.. Whatever the name, one application covers all three; the office places you at the highest level you qualify for.
Washington 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. Washington’s figures: QMB $1,454 / SLMB $1,585 / QI $1,820 (single).
Assets: none counted. Washington is one of the states that dropped the asset test, so a paid-off house, savings or a second car do not disqualify you.
Washington does not use the tax-based MAGI rules here. Instead, the Health Care Authority applies the SSI-related income methodology in chapter 182-512 WAC, meaning it follows Supplemental Security Income counting rules unless a state rule is more generous. Workers start from gross monthly income, subtract the exclusions and disregards SSI allows, and compare the net countable figure to the program standard.
Certain income is disregarded entirely, including some retroactive Social Security lump sums. A spouse living in the home matters: part of a non-applying spouse’s income can be deemed to the applicant.
Yes. Washington’s own rule states that a person applying for a Medicare Savings Program may be eligible for a retroactive certification period, so coverage can begin before the month the application is filed if the person met the rules in those earlier months.
Health Care Authority publishes a dedicated retroactive coverage fact sheet at https://www.hca.wa.gov/assets/free-or-low-cost/19-0122-retroactive-coverage.pdf, and the HCA 18-005 form has a place to ask for help with medical bills already incurred. The exact number of months allowed, and how it differs by program level, 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 Washington SHIP. This one protection is worth more than the premium for anyone with regular hospital or specialist care.
Washington Medicare Savings Program and Part D Extra Help
Enrollment works in both directions and no separate Extra Help application is needed once a Medicare Savings Program is approved. People enrolled in QMB, SLMB, or QI are automatically deemed eligible for the Medicare Part D low-income subsidy, commonly called Extra Help, so Social Security and CMS grant it without a second form.
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Going the other way, when someone files an Extra Help application with the Social Security Administration, SSA sends that information to Washington through the LIS data file, and the Health Care Authority treats it as a Medicare Savings Program application.
Washington Prescription Help Beyond Medicare
NONE. Washington does not operate a state pharmaceutical assistance program of the kind that pays Part D premiums or copays for seniors. — Washington runs its own drug-cost program for seniors alongside Extra Help. Ask The application is taken by the state Medicaid side, not by Medicare or a Medicare plan. or the SHIP whether you qualify for both.
How to Apply for the Washington Medicare Savings Program
Where: The application is taken by the state Medicaid side, not by Medicare or a Medicare plan. — application. Free help: Washington’s State Health Insurance Assistance Program is called SHIBA, short for Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors, and it is run by the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner rather than by the Medicaid agency..
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 Washington 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 Washington Medicare Savings Program Calendar
New federal poverty guidelines are published in January or February; states adopt the new Washington 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 Washington 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 Washington 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 Washington 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 Washington 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
- Washington Medicare Savings Programs
- The application is taken by the state Medicaid side, not by Medicare or a Medicare plan.
- Medicaid.gov spousal impoverishment standards: medicaid.gov
- Medicare.gov Medicare Savings Programs: medicare.gov
This Washington 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.