If Medicare premiums and bills are eating into a tight budget, there are three programs that can help — and the right one depends mostly on your income. They’re called Medicare Savings Programs, and knowing which one fits can save real money each month.
The three programs at a glance
All three are Medicare Savings Programs (MSPs), run through state Medicaid — in Utah, that’s the state Medicaid agency. They share the same 2026 resource limits of $9,950 (single) / $14,910 (married), but they pay different things and kick in at different income levels.
| Program | What it pays | 2026 income (single / married) |
|---|---|---|
| QMB | Part A and Part B premiums, plus deductibles, coinsurance, and copays. Providers may not balance-bill you. | $1,350 / $1,824 |
| SLMB | Part B premium only | $1,616 / $2,184 |
| QI | Part B premium only; first-come funding, reapply yearly, no full Medicaid | $1,816 / $2,455 |
Those income numbers are 2026 federal baseline figures. They update periodically, and Utah may disregard some income, so treat them as a starting point — not a final answer.
QMB: the most help
QMB (Qualified Medicare Beneficiary) is the most generous of the three. It covers your Part A and Part B premiums and also picks up the deductibles, coinsurance, and copays you’d normally owe on Medicare-covered services. Just as important, providers are not allowed to balance-bill QMB members for Medicare cost-sharing — so you shouldn’t be getting surprise bills for those amounts.
QMB is for the lowest incomes of the three, at roughly $1,350 single / $1,824 married per month in 2026. If your income lands in that range, QMB is the program to expect.
SLMB and QI: help with the Part B premium
If your income is a bit higher than the QMB cutoff, the next two programs each pay your Part B premium — but only that. They don’t cover deductibles, coinsurance, or copays.
- SLMB (Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary) covers the Part B premium for incomes around $1,616 single / $2,184 married.
- QI (Qualifying Individual) also covers the Part B premium, at the highest income level of the three — about $1,816 single / $2,455 married.
QI has a couple of catches worth knowing. It’s funded first-come, first-served with a limited yearly budget, so you have to reapply every year and approval isn’t guaranteed — applying early in the year helps. You also can’t have full Medicaid and be on QI at the same time.
Which one should you expect?
The simplest way to think about it is by income, lowest to highest:
- Income near the bottom of the range → likely QMB (the most coverage).
- A little higher → SLMB (Part B premium).
- Higher still, up to the QI limit → QI (Part B premium, reapply yearly).
You don’t have to pick the program yourself — when you apply, the Utah Medicaid agency reviews your income and resources and determines which one you qualify for. One application covers the review.
Want to see how these savings could change your overall costs? The Cost Estimator can help you picture your monthly Medicare spending, and if a term here is fuzzy, the Glossary breaks it down in plain language. For a closer look at the most comprehensive program, see what the QMB program covers.
A few things to keep in mind
These programs can also open other doors. Qualifying for any MSP automatically signs you up for Extra Help, which lowers Part D prescription costs too — so applying is often worth more than the premium savings alone.
If you’re not sure where your income lands or which program fits, you don’t have to sort it out by yourself. Reach out through our contact page and we’ll walk through it together — no pressure, just a straight answer about what you may qualify for and how to apply through Utah Medicaid.