Social Security Medicare Savings Program

Program Description

Medicare Savings Programs (MSP) are federally funded programs administered by each individual state. These programs are for people with limited income and resources to help pay some or all of their Medicare premiums, deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance.

There are four Medicare Savings Programs:

Qualified Medicare Beneficiary.
Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary.
Qualifying Individual.
Qualified Disabled & Working Individuals.

Program Requirements

Below are general requirements for the MSP:

Reside in a state or the District of Columbia.
Are age 65 or older.
Receive Social Security Disability benefits.
People with certain disabilities or permanent kidney failure (even if under age 65).
Meet standard income and resource requirements.

For a full list of requirements visit Medicare.gov’s Medicare Savings Program page.

Only the state can determine if an individual qualifies for coverage under one of the programs. Many states apply different standards and methods to determine MSP eligibility. Some states, for example, have no resources for these programs or figure the income and resources differently.

If you would like to find out if you are eligible for any of Social Security's benefit programs, use the U.S. Social Security Administration’s (SSA's) Benefit Eligibility Screening Tool.

Once you have completed the eligibility screening questionnaire, you will be provided with a list of benefits for which you may be eligible. Print this page for your records before going to the application site.

Application Process

Once you know which benefits you may be eligible for, go to the Medicare Benefits page to apply online.

You may also call your State Medicare Program to see if you qualify and to apply.

To view a model application in other languages, visit the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Forms and Publications Page to download a model application.

Contact Information

For more information about Medicare, visit Medicare page.