Lowering your Medicare costs
Medicare is not free, but four programs can cut what you pay: a Medicare Savings Program can pay your Part B premium outright, Extra Help lowers drug costs, SHIP gives you free one-on-one counseling, and Senior Medicare Patrol helps you fight a bill that looks wrong. Millions of people who qualify for a Medicare Savings Program are not enrolled in one.
Written and checked by Jason Burns, Editorial Steward · Checked August 25, 2026
The Part B premium is the biggest single win
Most people have the Medicare Part B premium taken out of their Social Security check every month before they ever see it. Part B is the part of Medicare that pays for doctor visits and outpatient care. A Medicare Savings Program, run by your state Medicaid office, can pay that premium for you. When it does, your Social Security payment goes up by that amount. Nothing about your Social Security claim changes; the deduction simply stops.
The three levels
There are three main Medicare Savings Programs. QMB, which stands for Qualified Medicare Beneficiary, is the broadest: it pays the Part B premium and also protects you from most deductibles, copays and coinsurance. SLMB, Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary, pays the Part B premium only. QI, Qualifying Individual, also pays the Part B premium but is funded from a limited pot and must be reapplied for each year.
Getting approved opens other doors
If you are approved for any Medicare Savings Program, you automatically get Extra Help for your prescriptions. You also get a special enrollment period, which means you can change your Medicare drug plan outside the usual fall window.
Free, unbiased help
SHIP counselors are free and are not allowed to sell you a plan. Senior Medicare Patrol volunteers help you read a bill or a Medicare summary notice and report charges for care you never received.
Questions people ask
What is a Medicare Savings Program?
A Medicare Savings Program is a state-run Medicaid program that pays your Medicare Part B premium for you, and at the highest level also covers Medicare deductibles, copays and coinsurance, which means the premium normally taken out of your Social Security check stops being deducted and your monthly payment goes up.
Does getting Extra Help or a Medicare Savings Program let me switch plans outside open enrollment?
Yes — being approved for Extra Help or for a Medicare Savings Program gives you a special enrollment period, which lets you join, switch or drop a Medicare drug plan or Medicare Advantage plan outside the usual October 15 to December 7 open enrollment window.
What is SHIP and is the counseling really free?
SHIP stands for State Health Insurance Assistance Program, a federally funded program in every state that gives people with Medicare free one-on-one counseling from trained counselors who are not allowed to sell insurance or earn a commission, so the help genuinely costs you nothing.
What is Senior Medicare Patrol?
Senior Medicare Patrol, usually shortened to SMP, is a free federally funded program with a team in every state that helps people with Medicare read their statements, spot charges for care they never received, and report suspected fraud, errors and abuse.
Can I get glasses or hearing aids if I'm on Medicare?
Original Medicare does not pay for routine eyeglasses or hearing aids, with one exception — glasses after cataract surgery with an implanted lens — so most older adults get them through a Medicare Advantage plan that includes those benefits, through state Medicaid, or through a charity such as a Lions Club vision program.
What's the difference between Medicare and Medicaid, in plain English?
Medicare is health insurance you earned by working and paying taxes, and it starts at 65 no matter what you own, while Medicaid is a state program based on how little income and savings you have — and many older adults have both at the same time, which is the best position to be in.
Do I qualify for Medicaid if I'm over 65?
You may qualify — after 65, Medicaid eligibility is based on your income and your countable savings under your state's limits, and even if your income is slightly too high you may still qualify through a Medicare Savings Program, a medically needy spend-down, or a home care waiver.
Programs covered in this guide
- Medicare Savings Programs (QMB, SLMB, QI)Your state pays your Medicare Part B premium, and sometimes your deductibles and copays too.
- 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.
- SHIP: Free, Unbiased Medicare CounselingA trained local counselor who compares your Medicare options with you and sells nothing.
- Senior Medicare Patrol: Fraud and Billing ErrorsFree help reading your Medicare statements and reporting charges for things you never received.
Sources
- Medicare Savings Programs · Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- State Health Insurance Assistance Programs · SHIP National Technical Assistance Center
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.
Report something wrong on this page
Checked August 25, 2026. Licensed under the Citation License 1.0. © 2026 Adolicious LLC.