Do I Qualify for a Medicare Savings Program?

Medicare Savings Programs are state-run programs that pay your Medicare premiums if your income and savings are under a limit. In Tennessee they're run by TennCare. For 2026 the federal income cutoffs reach $1,816 a month for one person and $2,455 for a married couple, according to Medicare.gov.

That's the top of the range. There are three main programs, and which one you land in depends on where your income falls.

01What does each program pay for?

Medicare.gov describes them this way.

QMB is the broadest. It pays your Part B premium, your Part A premium if you owe one, and your Part A and Part B deductibles, coinsurance and copayments. Providers aren't allowed to bill you for services Medicare covers.

SLMB pays your Part B premium.

QI also pays your Part B premium. You reapply every year, and states approve first-come, first-served, with priority to people who had it the year before.

There's a fourth, QDWI, for people under 65 who went back to work and lost premium-free Part A.

02What are the 2026 limits?

Monthly income and resource limits for 2026, from Medicare.gov:

Look these up on TennCare's site and you'll see figures $20 lower. Both are right. TennCare publishes the poverty-level number and then subtracts a $20 general deduction from your income before testing it. Medicare.gov folds that $20 in and publishes the gross figure, which is the one to compare your own income against.

You don't pick the program. You apply once, and the state decides which one you fit.

03Do my savings count against me?

Tennessee counts resources. TennCare's policy manual describes the programs as available to Medicare enrollees who meet resource and income standards.

Not everything counts, and the rules aren't obvious from the outside. Medicare.gov says some states don't count certain types or amounts of income or resources, and that you may qualify even if your numbers look higher than the federal limits.

The balance on your bank statement isn't the test. Apply and let them do the math.

04Does it help with drug costs too?

Enrolling in any Medicare Savings Program automatically gets you Extra Help with your Part D costs, according to Medicare.gov. In 2026 you'd pay no more than $12.65 for each drug your Medicare drug plan covers.

It works the other direction too. If you've already applied for Extra Help through Social Security, you may have started a Medicare Savings Program application without knowing it. TennCare's policy manual says a Part D Low-Income Subsidy application also initiates an MSP application, and Social Security sends those files to the state daily.

05How do I apply in Tennessee?

Three ways, according to TennCare: online at TennCareConnect.TN.gov, by phone at 855-259-0701, or on paper.

TennCare also points people to their local Department of Health office for in-person help. If you'd rather sit across from somebody than fill out a form, that's the option.

Free help with the application is available from the Tennessee State Health Insurance Assistance Program at 1-877-801-0044.

Not sure how this applies to your own situation? I'll walk through it with you. No cost for the help, and no obligation to enroll.

Logan Cope · Licensed Insurance Agent

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06What to do next

1. Add up your gross monthly income, before anything comes out of it.
2. Compare it to the table above. If you're near or under the QI line, keep going.
3. Apply through TennCare Connect even if your savings look too high. Some income and resources don't count.
4. If you're already on Extra Help, ask TennCare whether an MSP application is already on file for you.

The limits are federal, so they're the same in Rogersville, TN as anywhere else. What's local is the application, and that goes through TennCare.

The figures and rules above come from Medicare.gov, TennCare's Eligibility Reference Guide, and TennCare's Medicare Savings Programs policy manuals, numbers 120.005 and 120.010.