How do seniors get help paying for prescriptions?
Help with prescriptions comes in a ladder: Extra Help from Social Security first, then your state's pharmaceutical assistance program, then the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan to spread costs monthly, and finally drug company and foundation programs for a single expensive medicine.
What this means
- Each rung has different rules, and you can stand on more than one. Extra Help and a state program can work together.
- Extra Help is based on income and savings and is decided by Social Security, not by your insurance plan.
- The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan does not lower the total you owe. It smooths the cost into equal monthly payments, which helps when January bills are the problem.
What to do first
- Apply for Extra Help first, because approval often opens a Medicare Savings Program too.
- Ask a free SHIP counselor whether your state runs a State Pharmaceutical Assistance Program and whether your drugs are on its list.
- Sign up for the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan if a single month's cost is the problem rather than the yearly total.
- For one very expensive drug, ask the prescriber's office to help you apply to the manufacturer's patient assistance program or a copay foundation.
Extra Help with Medicare Prescription Drug Costs (Low-Income Subsidy)
Cuts your prescription costs to a few dollars a drug and removes your Part D premium and deductible.
Medicare Prescription Payment Plan (M3P)
Spreads what you owe for prescriptions across the year in equal monthly payments, with no interest and no fee.
HealthWell Foundation Copay Assistance
Pays prescription copays and insurance premiums for people with a specific diagnosis.
State Pharmaceutical Assistance Programs
About a dozen states run their own prescription help on top of Medicare Part D.
What you'll need
- A written list of every drug, dose, and monthly cost
- Your Medicare number and Part D plan name
- Income and savings amounts
- Your prescriber's office contact for manufacturer paperwork
Deadlines and timing
- Part D open enrollment runs October 15 to December 7 each year. Plans change their covered drug lists every January, so check yours during that window even if nothing else changed.
Where to go
- Social Security for Extra Help: https://www.ssa.gov/medicare/part-d-extra-help or 1-800-772-1213.
- Free, unbiased SHIP counselors: https://www.shiphelp.org/SHIPs/ — they will compare plans with your actual drug list.
Reviewed by Jason Burns, Editorial Steward · Last verified August 26, 2026
Sources
- Help with drug costs · Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- Extra Help with Medicare prescription drug costs · Social Security Administration
Every program on this site is free to apply for. Anyone who asks you to pay to apply, or to “unlock” a government benefit, is a scam — hang up and call Senior Medicare Patrol or 211.
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