Louisiana Medicare Savings Programs 2026: QMB, SLMB & QI

In 2026, Louisiana's QMB program pays your entire Medicare Part B premium of $202.90 a month, plus every Medicare deductible, copay, and coinsurance. And unlike the federal standard, Louisiana counts none of your savings or property when it decides whether you qualify. For a retiree living on Social Security, that Part B premium is often the single largest fixed cost of every month, and a Medicare Savings Program can erase it.1,2

What Are Medicare Savings Programs?

Medicare Savings Programs are Medicaid-administered benefits that pay a low-income Medicare beneficiary's premiums and cost-sharing. Federal Medicaid law makes QMB, SLMB, and QI (along with a fourth group, QDWI) mandatory eligibility groups, so every state, Louisiana included, must cover them.4

In Louisiana, the programs are administered by the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH), which runs the state's Medicaid program. LDH determines eligibility and manages enrollment for all three tiers.

Two things make Louisiana's version different from the federal template most national guides describe. First, Louisiana applies no resource or asset test to QMB, SLMB, or QI, so a reader who would be turned away by the federal $9,950 resource limit is not turned away on assets here. Second, Louisiana publishes its income thresholds as percentages of the Federal Poverty Income Guidelines and then applies a $20/month general income disregard on top, so the effective limits align with the federal 2026 figures shown throughout this guide.2

QMB: Who Qualifies and What It Pays

QMB is the most comprehensive tier. In 2026 it covers:

• The Medicare Part A premium (most beneficiaries have premium-free Part A after 40 or more work quarters)
• The Medicare Part B standard premium, $202.90/month in 2026
• The Part A inpatient hospital deductible, $1,736 per benefit period in 2026
• The Part B annual deductible, $283 in 2026
• All Medicare coinsurance and copays across every Medicare-covered service1

2026 Louisiana QMB income limits: at or below $1,350/month for a single person, $1,824/month for a couple. Louisiana disregards resources entirely, so there is no asset limit to meet.2

Because QMB pays the Part B premium, both Medicare deductibles, and every copay, it removes essentially all of a beneficiary's routine Medicare out-of-pocket cost. Every QMB enrollee is also automatically deemed eligible for full Part D Extra Help.3

SLMB: Who Qualifies and What It Pays

SLMB pays one benefit: the Medicare Part B premium.3 At the 2026 standard rate of $202.90/month, that is $2,434.80 returned to the beneficiary over a full year.1

2026 Louisiana SLMB income limits: above the QMB limit and up to $1,616/month for a single person, $2,184/month for a couple. As with QMB, Louisiana counts no assets.2

SLMB does not pay deductibles or copays. For a beneficiary with limited medical use, though, the Part B premium is the largest out-of-pocket cost, and SLMB eliminates it. SLMB enrollment also triggers automatic Part D Extra Help.3

QI: Who Qualifies and What It Pays

QI covers the Part B premium only, the same as SLMB, at a higher income band: above the SLMB limit and up to $1,816/month single, $2,455/month couple in 2026. Louisiana applies no asset test to QI either.2,3

Three structural differences set QI apart from QMB and SLMB:

1. First-come, first-served. QI is paid from a capped annual federal allotment, so a state selects applicants in the order they apply and enrolls them only as far as that money goes, with preference for people who got QI in the last month of the previous year. Unlike QMB and SLMB, QI is not an entitlement, so enrollment is not guaranteed. Once you are selected, you keep QI for the rest of that year as long as you still qualify.5
2. Not available alongside full Medicaid. QI is only for people who don't qualify for any other Medicaid coverage, and there is no "QI-plus" category.5 Someone with full Medicaid whose income fits QMB or SLMB is a QMB Plus or SLMB Plus enrollee instead. Only QMB Plus carries QMB's protection from Medicare cost-sharing bills; whether Medicaid covers Medicare cost-sharing for an SLMB Plus enrollee varies by state.6
3. Reapply every year. Being selected for QI in one year does not entitle you to assistance in the next, so you have to apply again each year.3

QI enrollment also triggers automatic Part D Extra Help.3

Louisiana Medicare Savings Programs: Full Comparison

Each tier's income band starts just above the limit of the tier below it. All 2026 figures are effective monthly income limits, with Louisiana's $20 general income disregard already applied and no asset test in any tier.2,1 They are the federal standards rather than absolute cutoffs, and a state can disregard further income, so someone slightly over should apply rather than rule themselves out.3

Why Louisiana Counts No Assets

Most national Medicare guides state a resource limit of $9,950 for one person and $14,910 for a couple. That is the federal figure, and it does not apply in Louisiana. The Louisiana Medicaid Eligibility Manual lists the resource limit for QMB, SLMB, and QI as "not applicable," and the LDH Medicare Savings Program page states plainly that resources are disregarded for these groups.2,3

In practice, once you meet LDH's Part A requirement (you must be eligible for and currently enrolled in Medicare Part A), your savings never enter the decision; your income does.2 A checking account, savings, a paid-off home, a second vehicle, or a modest brokerage account has no effect on QMB, SLMB, or QI eligibility. Only the fourth Medicare Savings Program, QDWI (for certain working people with disabilities), keeps a resource limit in Louisiana. Many residents assume their savings or their home disqualify them and never apply; in Louisiana, they do not.2

What If a Provider Bills You in QMB?

Federal law bars Medicare providers and suppliers, pharmacies included, from billing a QMB enrollee for Medicare Part A or Part B deductibles, coinsurance, or copays.3 The ban covers Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage providers, not only those that accept Louisiana Medicaid, and it holds even when Medicaid pays the provider less than the full amount. The one bill that can still come is a small Medicaid copayment, if one applies.7

If you receive a bill for a deductible, copay, or coinsurance as a QMB enrollee, do not pay it. Instead:

• Tell the provider you are enrolled in QMB and cite the federal prohibition.
• Show your Medicare card and your Medicaid or QMB card. With Original Medicare, a Medicare Summary Notice also shows that you are in QMB.7
• Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to file a complaint.8
• Contact Louisiana's Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) for free help disputing the bill.

CMS tells providers who have billed a QMB enrollee for Medicare cost-sharing to recall those bills, including any sent to collections, and to refund whatever they collected.7

Part D Extra Help / Low-Income Subsidy

Every Louisiana QMB, SLMB, and QI enrollee is automatically deemed eligible for full Part D Extra Help (also called the Low-Income Subsidy, or LIS). No separate application is required.3

Under the 2026 Part D Low-Income Subsidy, a full-benefit enrollee pays no more than $5.10 for a generic prescription and $12.65 for a brand-name drug, and $0 once out-of-pocket drug costs reach the $2,100 catastrophic threshold for the year.9

If you are deemed eligible, CMS sends you a notice saying you don't need to apply for Extra Help, so you can skip that second errand.9

How to Apply for Louisiana Medicare Savings Programs

Because Louisiana counts no assets, the application turns almost entirely on documenting your income. Under 42 CFR 435.912, LDH has no more than 45 days to decide an application that is not based on disability, outside unusual circumstances such as a delay on the applicant's side.10

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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.