Michigan Medicare Savings Programs 2026: QMB, SLMB & QI

Michigan's Medicare Savings Programs (MSPs) pay Medicare premiums and, for the top tier, Part A and Part B deductibles, coinsurance, and copays for people with limited income and resources. Michigan runs its MSPs through the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), and you can apply online through MI Bridges.1 In 2026, a single person with monthly income up to about $1,816 may qualify for at least partial help.2

What Are Medicare Savings Programs?

Medicare Savings Programs are a Medicaid-administered benefit for people who have Medicare but cannot afford the premiums and cost-sharing. They are separate from full Medicaid coverage: you can qualify for an MSP without qualifying for Michigan's full Medicaid package.2

Federal law defines four MSPs. This guide covers the three that MDHHS runs for people who need help with Medicare premiums and cost-sharing: QMB, SLMB, and QI. The fourth, QDWI (Qualified Disabled and Working Individual), is a narrower program that pays the Part A premium for certain working people with disabilities who lost premium-free Part A; its 2026 income limits are far higher ($5,405/month individual, $7,299/month couple) and its resource limits far lower ($4,000 / $6,000).2

Income limits for QMB, SLMB, and QI are set by the federal government as a share of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). The published dollar limits sit a little above the bare FPL percentage because they already include the $20 monthly SSI general income exclusion. That is why the QMB figure is $1,350 rather than a flat 100% of FPL. These are the federal standards rather than absolute cutoffs: states can effectively raise both the income and the resource limits by disregarding certain income and resources, so confirm the current Michigan numbers with MDHHS and apply rather than rule yourself out.2

QMB: The Most Protective Tier

QMB provides the broadest coverage of the three programs. It pays:

• The Medicare Part A premium (for the small share of people who do not get premium-free Part A)
• The Medicare Part B premium, which is $202.90/month in 2026 for most enrollees3
• All Part A and Part B deductibles, coinsurance, and copays for Medicare-covered items and services, including the $283 annual Part B deductible in 20263,2

QMB does not cover copays in your Medicare drug plan. Those are handled through Extra Help instead, which caps a QMB enrollee's cost at $12.65 per covered drug in 2026. You may also get a bill for a small Medicaid copayment, if one applies.2

2026 QMB income limits (approximate): up to about $1,350/month for an individual and $1,824/month for a married couple. The measure is 100% of the Federal Poverty Level plus the $20 monthly SSI general income exclusion, which is why the published figure is above a flat 100% of FPL.2

SLMB: Part B Premium Help

SLMB pays only the Medicare Part B premium, and you must have both Part A and Part B to qualify.2 In 2026 the standard premium is $202.90/month, which works out to $2,434.80 over a full year ($202.90 × 12). SLMB does not cover deductibles or copays.3

2026 SLMB income limits (approximate): up to about $1,616/month for an individual and $2,184/month for a couple. Income is measured between 100% and 120% of the Federal Poverty Level.2

QI: The Upper Tier

QI also pays only the Part B premium, and like SLMB it requires both Part A and Part B. It covers a slightly higher income band than SLMB, up to about $1,816/month for an individual and $2,455/month for a couple, measured between 120% and 135% of the Federal Poverty Level. Two distinctions matter for QI:2

1. Annual funding cap. QI is paid from a fixed federal allotment each year. The state selects qualifying individuals in the order they apply, with preference for people who received QI in the last month of the previous year, and it must limit how many it selects so the year's total assistance stays within its federal allocation. Selection in one year does not entitle you to assistance in the next, so you must apply every year to stay in QI. Apply early in the calendar year.2
2. Only for people with no other Medicaid. QI is open only to people who don't qualify for any other Michigan Medicaid coverage or benefits, though someone shut out of QI may still qualify for help through another Medicare Savings Program.2,4 QMB and SLMB, by contrast, can be held alongside full Medicaid: someone who also qualifies for a full Medicaid group is a "QMB Plus" or "SLMB Plus" enrollee.5

Asset Limits (2026)

QMB, SLMB, and QI use the same federal resource (asset) test: $9,950 for an individual and $14,910 for a married couple in 2026. (QDWI, the fourth MSP, uses a much lower resource limit of $4,000 / $6,000.)2

Not every asset you own counts toward that limit, and states can effectively raise the resource limit by disregarding certain resources, so ask MDHHS or a SHIP counselor how your own resources are counted before you rule yourself out on a rough tally.2 Michigan's own eligibility manual (BEM 400) writes the same figures into state policy: an asset limit of $9,950 for one person and $14,910 for two, effective January 1, 2026, for the Medicare Savings Program and for certain other SSI-related Medicaid categories, including the MI Choice waiver and Extended-Care nursing-home categories. Other SSI-related categories not on that list keep a $2,000 limit for one person, so ask MDHHS which limit applies if you're applying for more than an MSP.6

Income Counting: Disregards Matter

Not all of your income counts toward the MSP income test, and the published limits already build one disregard in: the $20 monthly SSI general income exclusion sits on top of the stated FPL percentage, which is why the QMB line is $1,350 and not a flat 100% of FPL. Beyond that, the figures here are federal standards, not absolute cutoffs: states can effectively raise the income limit by disregarding certain amounts or types of income, so what MDHHS applies to your case can differ from the federal numbers. Confirm the current limits with the state.2

If your gross income looks a little above the limit, apply anyway rather than ruling yourself out. SLMB and QI reach higher income than QMB, so a household that is over the QMB line frequently still qualifies for one of the upper tiers, and MDHHS may count less of your income than you do.

If a Provider Bills You and You Have QMB

Federal law bars every Medicare provider and supplier, pharmacies included, from billing a QMB enrollee for Medicare Part A or Part B deductibles, coinsurance, or copayments. The protection holds even when Michigan Medicaid pays the provider nothing toward that cost-sharing, and it holds whether or not the provider takes Medicaid. For purposes of what you can be billed, what Medicare pays plus whatever the state plan pays (if anything) counts as payment in full, and you have no legal liability to pay the provider for that cost-sharing. CMS says Medicare providers may bill the state Medicaid program for that cost-sharing, and requires states to let any Medicare-enrolled provider enroll for the purpose of submitting those claims. A provider who bills you anyway is violating its Medicare provider agreement or its Medicare Part C obligations and may be subject to sanctions, even when Medicaid pays nothing.7

If a bill for Medicare cost-sharing shows up anyway:

1. Don't pay it. Tell the provider you're in the QMB group and that federal law bars the charge. If you've already paid a bill for services Medicare covers, you have the right to a refund.7
2. Show proof you're a QMB. Bring both your Medicare and Medicaid cards (or your QMB card) to every visit, or show a Medicare Summary Notice, which says you're in the QMB program and shouldn't be billed.7
3. Call Michigan's SHIP at 1-800-803-7174. The State Health Insurance Assistance Program, run by MDHHS, is Michigan's free, unbiased resource for navigating Medicare, and its local certified counselors give personal assistance at no charge.8
4. If the billing continues, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227; TTY 1-877-486-2048). Medicare can confirm your QMB status and ask the provider to stop billing you and to refund what you've already paid.7 If that still doesn't settle it, ask the representative to submit your complaint to the Medicare Beneficiary Ombudsman, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services program that takes beneficiary complaints your plan and 1-800-MEDICARE did not resolve.9,10

Extra Help: The Automatic Benefit

Enrolling in QMB, SLMB, or QI automatically qualifies you for Extra Help, also called the Part D Low-Income Subsidy (LIS). Federal rules deem those three groups full-subsidy eligible. QDWI, the fourth MSP, does not confer Extra Help.2

Extra Help lowers Part D prescription-drug premiums, deductibles, and copays. Because the deeming is automatic, you do not file a separate Extra Help application once your MSP is approved.2

How to Apply for a Michigan Medicare Savings Program

Michigan MSP applications go through MDHHS on the MDHHS-1171 Assistance Application (a MI Bridges online application counts as the same form). MDHHS must approve or deny an application within 45 days, or 90 days when disability is part of the eligibility decision. Here is the path from start to coverage.1

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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.