If your Medicare costs feel heavier than your budget can carry, a few numbers may decide whether help is on the table. Medicaid and the Medicare Savings Programs both look at your income and your resources to figure out who qualifies — and many people who would pass never apply.
Why income and resource limits matter
Medicare is the same for everyone, but the help that lowers your Medicare costs is means-tested. That means two figures gate the door: your monthly income and your countable resources (money in the bank and most investments, but generally not your home or car).
If you land under both limits, you may qualify for a Medicare Savings Program (MSP) that pays your Part B premium — and sometimes your Part A premium, deductibles, and copays. You may also qualify for Extra Help, which lowers your Part D drug costs. To see how those savings stack up against your current bills, the Cost Estimator is a good place to start.
The 2026 Medicare Savings Program limits
There are three main programs. They share the same resource limits but have different income limits, and they pay for different things. Here are the 2026 federal baseline figures:
| Program | Pays for | Income (single) | Income (married) |
|---|---|---|---|
| QMB | Part A & B premiums, plus deductibles, coinsurance, and copays | $1,350 | $1,824 |
| SLMB | Part B premium only | $1,616 | $2,184 |
| QI | Part B premium only (apply yearly) | $1,816 | $2,455 |
All three share resource limits of $9,950 (single) / $14,910 (married) in 2026.
QMB is the most generous — it even protects you from being balance-billed for Medicare cost-sharing. SLMB and QI cover the Part B premium, which alone is $202.90 a month in 2026. QI is funded first-come, so you reapply each year and can’t also have full Medicaid.
Extra Help uses higher limits
Extra Help (also called the Low-Income Subsidy) works on its own scale, and the resource limits are more generous: $16,590 for a single person and $33,100 for a married couple in 2026. So even if your savings put you just over an MSP limit, you might still qualify for Extra Help and lower drug costs. To check where you might land across these programs, the Eligibility Calculator can give you a quick read.
These are baselines — Utah makes the final call
Here’s the part that matters most: the numbers above are 2026 federal baselines. They update periodically, and Utah Medicaid makes the final eligibility determination. When Utah runs your application, it may disregard some of your income — meaning the figure it counts can be lower than your full paycheck or benefit.
Because of that, a hard line on paper isn’t really a hard line in practice. If you’re a little over a limit, you should still apply. Applying is free, and the worst outcome is a “no” — while many people who assumed they wouldn’t qualify end up getting help. For a step-by-step walk-through of the paperwork, see how to apply for Medicaid in Utah.
A few things worth knowing
- Resources are not your whole net worth. Your home and your car usually don’t count, so don’t rule yourself out based on what you own.
- Income includes more than wages. Social Security, pensions, and similar payments count, but Utah may set part of it aside.
- Married vs. single matters. The limits are higher for couples, so check the column that fits your household.
If you’re not sure which side of these limits you fall on, that’s normal — the rules are genuinely confusing. You’re welcome to reach out and talk it through, with no pressure either way. Sometimes a five-minute conversation is all it takes to find out there’s help you didn’t know was waiting.