Arkansas Medicare Savings Programs 2026: QMB, SLMB & QI

Arkansas Medicare Savings Programs (QMB, SLMB and QI) pay the Medicare Part B premium, and for QMB every Medicare deductible and copay, for people with limited income and assets. Unlike some states, Arkansas does apply an asset test to these programs, at the federal MSP limit: $9,950 for a single person and $14,910 for a couple in 2026, and the home you live in and one vehicle you use for transportation do not count.1,2

What Are Medicare Savings Programs?

Medicare Savings Programs are Medicaid-administered benefits that pay some or all of a low-income Medicare beneficiary's Medicare premiums and cost-sharing. They are state-run programs administered through Medicaid.1 Federal law defines each group in the Medicaid sections of the Social Security Act: QMB in section 1905(p)(1), SLMB in section 1902(a)(10)(E)(iii), and QI in section 1902(a)(10)(E)(iv).3

In Arkansas, all three programs are administered by the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) through its county-operations Medicaid program. Applications go through the Access Arkansas portal or local DHS county offices.

Arkansas uses the Supplemental Security Income (SSI)-related methodology to count income, not the MAGI rules that apply to most working-age Medicaid. That methodology applies a $20 general income disregard to your unearned income (such as Social Security) before comparing it to the limit, so the income figures below already reflect that $20.1,4

QMB: Qualified Medicare Beneficiary

QMB is the most comprehensive tier. It covers:

• The Medicare Part A premium, if you owe one (most people pay no Part A premium because they or a spouse paid Medicare taxes long enough while working, generally at least 10 years)
• The Medicare Part B premium, which is $202.90 per month in 2026
• The Part A inpatient hospital deductible, which is $1,736 per benefit period in 2026
• The Part B annual deductible, which is $283 in 2026
• All Medicare coinsurance and copays on every Medicare-covered service5

2026 Arkansas QMB income limits: at or below $1,350/month for a single person, or at or below $1,824/month for a couple. These figures reflect 100% of the Federal Poverty Level with the $20 general income disregard applied. Countable resources must stay at or below $9,950 (single) or $14,910 (couple). QMB also has two non-financial rules: you must be 65 or older, blind, or have a disability, and you must be enrolled in Medicare Part A or be conditionally eligible for it.1

QMB does not cover Part D drug-plan copays. Those come through Extra Help instead, under which a QMB enrollee pays no more than $12.65 per covered drug in 2026.1

For a single Arkansas senior on Social Security, QMB wipes out the Part B premium ($202.90 a month, or about $2,434.80 a year), the $283 Part B deductible, and the $1,736 Part A hospital deductible, plus every Medicare copay and coinsurance charge.5 Every QMB enrollee is also automatically deemed eligible for full Part D Extra Help.

SLMB: Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary

SLMB covers one benefit: the Medicare Part B premium. At the 2026 standard rate of $202.90 a month, that is worth about $2,434.80 for the year.5

2026 Arkansas SLMB income limits: more than the QMB limit and up to $1,616/month for a single person, or up to $2,184/month for a couple. The same asset test applies: $9,950 single, $14,910 couple. You must have both Medicare Part A and Part B to qualify.1

SLMB does not cover deductibles or copays. But for a beneficiary with relatively few medical claims, eliminating the Part B premium is the dominant cost saving. SLMB enrollment also triggers automatic Part D Extra Help, which caps covered drug copays at $5.10 for generics and $12.65 for brand-name drugs in 2026.6

QI: Qualifying Individual

QI pays the Part B premium only, the same as SLMB, but applies at a higher income band: more than the SLMB limit and up to $1,816/month for a single person, or up to $2,455/month for a couple (2026 figures with the $20 disregard applied). The asset test is the same, $9,950 single and $14,910 couple, and you must have both Part A and Part B.1

Two structural differences set QI apart from QMB and SLMB:

1. First-come, first-served. QI is paid for out of a capped annual federal allocation to each state, granted first-come, first-served, with preference for people who received QI in the last month of the previous year. QI carries no enrollment guarantee.1
2. Only for people with no other Medicaid. QI is only for people who are not otherwise eligible for Medicaid. If you qualify for other Medicaid coverage, you can't be on QI, though you may still qualify for help from another Medicare Savings Program.1 Arkansas's manual adds that QI-1 enrollees get no Medicaid benefits or Medicaid card, and someone who qualifies for both QI-1 and medically needy spend-down must choose which coverage they want for a given period.1

A third difference is procedural: you must apply for QI again every year, because selection in one year does not entitle you to continued assistance in any succeeding year.1 Like SLMB, QI enrollment triggers automatic Part D Extra Help.

The QMB Billing Prohibition

Federal law prohibits Medicare providers from billing a QMB enrollee for Medicare cost-sharing.1 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) states that the ban covers "all Original Medicare and MA providers and suppliers (not only those that accept Medicaid)," so it reaches Medicare Advantage providers too, whether or not they take Arkansas Medicaid. CMS also tells providers, "Even if you don't receive full payment from Medicaid, you must not bill a QMB."1

If you are a QMB enrollee and receive a bill for a deductible, coinsurance, or copay from any Medicare provider, do not pay it. The provider cannot legally collect it. The one bill a QMB enrollee may still get is for a small Medicaid copayment, if one applies.1 For a Medicare cost-sharing bill:

• Tell the provider you are enrolled in QMB and cite the federal prohibition.
• Show your Arkansas Medicaid eligibility notice or your Medicare card with the QMB indicator.
• Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to file a complaint.7
• Contact Arkansas SHIIP (the Senior Health Insurance Information Program) at 1-800-224-6330 for free help disputing the bill.8

Part D Extra Help / Low-Income Subsidy

Every QMB, SLMB, and QI enrollee in Arkansas is automatically deemed eligible for full Part D Extra Help (the Low-Income Subsidy). No separate application is required.1

Under the 2026 Part D benefit rules, full Extra Help caps your out-of-pocket cost at $5.10 per generic drug and $12.65 per brand-name drug, and once your out-of-pocket drug spending reaches $2,100 for the year, you pay $0 for covered drugs the rest of the year.6

Because you are deemed eligible, CMS notifies you that you do not need to apply. The premium help covers a Part D plan up to your region's benchmark premium; if you pick a more expensive plan, you pay the difference.6

Arkansas Medicare Savings Programs: 2026 Income Limits at a Glance

These income limits reflect 100% of the Federal Poverty Level for QMB, 100 to 120% for SLMB, and 120 to 135% for QI, each with the $20 general income disregard applied. All three use the federal MSP resource standard, which for 2026 is $9,950 for one person and $14,910 for a couple.1

Neither the income bands nor the resource limit is a self-screening cutoff. States may effectively raise the federal limits by disregarding certain income and resources, and the Social Security Administration instructs its staff that "even if the individual's income or resources appear somewhat higher than the state limits, encourage them to apply for the MSPs." An Arkansan somewhat over these figures should file at a DHS county office rather than assume disqualification.1

Arkansas Applies an Asset Test, and Its Published Charts Lag

Arkansas uses the federal Medicare Savings Program resource standard, which for 2026 is $9,950 for a single person and $14,910 for a couple.1

Arkansas's own published charts have not caught up. The DHS Health Care Eligibility Quick Reference still shows $9,660 and $14,470, and table E-110 of the Medical Services Policy Manual shows $7,730 and $11,600.1 Those are older figures, not a separate Arkansas rule, so if your countable balances sit anywhere near the line, confirm the current number with your DHS county office rather than self-screening out against a chart that lags. The same goes for balances above the line: the resource standard is the federal figure, not an absolute bar, and Social Security tells its staff to encourage people whose resources look somewhat high to apply anyway.1

You may also see a $4,000 single / $6,000 couple resource limit in Arkansas policy. That figure belongs to QDWI (Qualified Disabled and Working Individual), the fourth Medicare Savings Program, which pays only the Part A premium for certain working people with disabilities who lost premium-free Part A.1 It does not apply to QMB, SLMB (SMB in Arkansas policy) or QI (QI-1).1

What Counts as a Resource and What Does Not

The Arkansas asset test excludes several large categories of property, so many applicants have far less countable than they assume.

Medicare Savings Programs count resources under the SSI program's rules.4

Excluded (do not count):

• The home you live in, and the land it sits on
• One vehicle, regardless of value, if you or someone in your household uses it for transportation
• Household goods and personal effects2
• Burial spaces such as a plot or crypt, plus up to $1,500 each for you and your spouse in funds set aside for burial and kept separate from your other money4

Counted:

• Checking and savings account balances
• Stocks, bonds, CDs, and mutual funds
• A second vehicle or a second home

That excluded list is not the whole of it. Social Security's own list of resources that don't count is longer, so don't add up your assets against these items alone and conclude you're over the limit.2

Many Arkansas seniors rule themselves out of a Medicare Savings Program because they treat their home as a resource. The home does not count. An applicant who owns a paid-off house can still qualify as long as their bank and investment balances stay within the $9,950 (single) or $14,910 (couple) limit.1

How the Income Disregards Work

One way eligible Arkansas seniors miss these programs: they look at their gross income, see a figure above the threshold, and stop. The SSI-related methodology counts income differently.

The $20 general income disregard excludes $20 a month from unearned income (Social Security, pensions, VA compensation) before your income is compared to the limit. This is already built into the published limits above.1 If you or your spouse still work, the SSI rules also exclude the first $65 of monthly earnings and half of the rest, so countable earnings are always less than half of gross pay.4

Run the actual disregard math, or ask a counselor to run it, before concluding you do not qualify.

Where to Get Help in Arkansas

How to Apply for Arkansas Medicare Savings Programs

Determination Timeline and Effective Dates

Federal rules cap how long Arkansas DHS may take: a determination may not exceed 45 days, or 90 days if you apply on the basis of disability (42 CFR § 435.912).11

• QMB: runs forward only. By statute, a QMB determination applies to services furnished after the end of the month in which Arkansas makes it, so QMB won't pay for care you got before then. Apply as early as possible.3
• SLMB and QI: that QMB rule names only QMB, and the federal sources behind this guide set no specific retroactive window for SLMB or QI, so ask Arkansas DHS how far back your coverage can start before you count on it.3 General Medicaid rules let coverage reach back as far as the third month before the month you apply, if you received covered services then and would have been eligible at the time, with the exact start date set by the state plan. A state's window can be shorter under an approved Section 1115 demonstration, and for applications made on or after January 1, 2027, a 2025 federal law shortens it to two months before the month of application for most enrollees.12

Learn More

Find personalized help applying for Arkansas Medicare Savings Programs at brevy.com.

The information on Brevy.com is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal, financial, or medical advice. Rules vary by state and program and change frequently. Always verify with the relevant agency or a qualified professional. Brevy is not a law firm, financial advisor, or healthcare provider.