Medicare in New Hampshire runs on federal rules, with free counseling through the ServiceLink ADRC network and a Medicare Savings Program that uses the SLMB135 label for its QI-equivalent tier.
In This Guide
- Key Takeaways
- Original Medicare: Parts A and B
- Medicare Advantage in New Hampshire (Part C)
- Medicare Part D: Prescription Drugs
- Medigap in New Hampshire
- Help Paying for Medicare in New Hampshire
- Medicare Enrollment Periods
- Free Medicare Help: NH ServiceLink SHIP
- Frequently Asked Questions
About these numbers: The premiums and deductibles below come from CMS for calendar year 2026, effective January 1. Medicare costs change every year. For the most current figures, contact Medicare at 1-800-633-4227 (1-800-MEDICARE) or NH ServiceLink at 1-866-634-9412.
Original Medicare: Parts A and B
Original Medicare is run directly by the federal government and comes in two parts. The mechanics and costs are identical in New Hampshire and every other state.
Part A (Hospital Insurance)
Part A covers inpatient hospital stays, limited skilled nursing facility care, hospice, and some home health care.
| Cost | Amount |
|---|---|
| Monthly premium | $0 for most people (40+ quarters of work history) |
| Hospital deductible | $1,736 per benefit period |
| Hospital coinsurance, days 61-90 | $434 per day |
| Lifetime reserve days | $868 per day |
| SNF coinsurance, days 21-100 | $217 per day |
The hospital deductible rose $60 from 2025. A benefit period starts the day you're admitted and ends 60 days after you leave. Get readmitted after that, and the deductible applies again.
Part B (Medical Insurance)
Part B covers doctor visits, outpatient care, preventive services, durable medical equipment, and mental health care. It doesn't cover routine dental, vision, or hearing.
- Monthly premium: $202.90 (higher if your 2024 income was above $109,000 single or $218,000 married, under the income-related adjustment)
- Annual deductible: $283
- After the deductible: you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for most services
Part B is technically optional, but nearly everyone signs up. Delay past your enrollment window without other creditable coverage and you'll owe a late penalty of 10% for every 12 months you could have had it, for as long as you keep Part B.
Medicare Advantage in New Hampshire (Part C)
Medicare Advantage plans are an alternative to Original Medicare, sold by private insurers. They cover everything Parts A and B do, except hospice, which Original Medicare keeps covering. Most bundle in Part D drug coverage along with extras like dental, vision, and hearing.
New Hampshire is a small state with a modest Medicare Advantage market. The Manchester, Nashua, and Concord metro areas generally offer a wider range of plans than rural communities, particularly in the North Country and western regions where fewer plan contracts operate. Plan options, networks, and prices change every year and differ by county, so compare what's actually available at your address before you decide.
How These Plans Work
- You keep paying your Part B premium ($202.90) on top of any plan premium. CMS estimates the average Medicare Advantage premium for 2026 at about $14 a month, and many plans charge $0 extra.
- Plans run on networks (HMO or PPO). Confirm your doctors and hospitals are in-network before you enroll, which matters most if you rely on specialists in Boston or other out-of-state medical centers.
- Plans usually require prior authorization for certain services, which Original Medicare generally does not.
- Every plan caps your annual in-network out-of-pocket spending (federally limited to $9,250 in 2026; many plans set it lower). Original Medicare has no such cap.
Use the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov to compare plans by ZIP code. Enter your doctors and prescriptions and it shows which plans cover them and your estimated cost. If you want help reading the results, a ServiceLink SHIP counselor will go through them with you for free.
Medicare Part D: Prescription Drugs
Part D covers outpatient prescription drugs. You can get it as a standalone plan paired with Original Medicare, or built into a Medicare Advantage plan.
The Inflation Reduction Act eliminated the old coverage gap, the donut hole, so that higher-cost middle stage is gone. Part D now moves through three phases:
- Deductible: you pay full price until you meet your plan's deductible (up to $615 in 2026).
- Initial coverage: you pay copays or coinsurance while your plan and drug makers cover the rest.
- Catastrophic: once your out-of-pocket spending reaches $2,100, you pay $0 for covered drugs the rest of the year.
That $2,100 cap is the number that matters most in Part D. It was $2,000 in 2025 and rises with drug-spending growth. The average standalone Part D premium for 2026 is about $46.50 a month, though actual plan premiums vary widely. Every plan also has to offer the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, which lets you spread your out-of-pocket drug costs into capped monthly payments across the year instead of paying in full at the pharmacy. People who qualify for Extra Help often pay much less, sometimes nothing.
Not sure which Part D plan fits your prescriptions? Chat with Brevy's care navigator at brevy.com.
Medigap in New Hampshire
Medigap policies are sold by private insurers to fill the gaps in Original Medicare: the deductibles, coinsurance, and copays. They work only with Original Medicare, never with Medicare Advantage.
New Hampshire offers the federally standardized plans, labeled A through N, regulated by the New Hampshire Insurance Department. Plans C and F are closed to anyone who became Medicare-eligible on or after January 1, 2020. Plan G is the popular choice for people newly eligible: it covers the Part A deductible, Part A and Part B coinsurance, and skilled nursing coinsurance, leaving only the $283 Part B deductible on you.
Your strongest opening is the federal Medigap Open Enrollment Period, the six months that begin when you're 65 and enrolled in Part B. During that window an insurer must sell you any plan at the standard rate regardless of your health. Outside it, New Hampshire insurers may use medical underwriting, meaning they can review your health, charge more, or decline you.
New Hampshire has no annual birthday rule or other state-created window that lets you switch Medigap plans without health questions after the initial enrollment period closes. The choice you make in those first six months carries real weight. If you think you might ever want Medigap, the safest time to buy is during that initial window.
Medigap or Medicare Advantage?
You can't hold both. Choose Medigap and you stay on Original Medicare with the freedom to see any provider who accepts Medicare nationwide, at a higher monthly premium. Choose Medicare Advantage and you trade some of that freedom for a network and a lower upfront cost. For a side-by-side look at the trade-off, see our guide to Original Medicare vs. Medicare Advantage.
Help Paying for Medicare in New Hampshire
If you're on a fixed income, two programs can cut your Medicare costs sharply.
Medicare Savings Programs
New Hampshire administers its Medicare Savings Programs through the NH Department of Health and Human Services, under the Medicare Beneficiaries Savings Program. New Hampshire uses the standard federal income tiers but applies its own SLMB135 label for the third tier (what the federal program calls QI).
| NH label | Federal name | Individual | Couple | What it pays |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QMB | QMB | Up to about $1,350 | Up to about $1,824 | Part A and B premiums, deductibles, coinsurance |
| SLMB | SLMB | Up to about $1,616 | Up to about $2,184 | Part B premium |
| SLMB135 | QI | Up to about $1,816 | Up to about $2,455 | Part B premium |
QMB is the most generous, covering your Part B premium plus your deductibles and coinsurance. Federal law bars providers from billing a QMB enrollee for that Medicare cost-sharing. For all three programs the 2026 resource limit is $9,950 for one person and $14,910 for a couple. The income figures are tied to the Federal Poverty Level and update each year. Apply through NH DHHS, and enrolling in any of these programs automatically qualifies you for Extra Help.
Extra Help for Part D
Extra Help, also called the Low-Income Subsidy, pays Part D premiums, deductibles, and copays for people with limited income and resources. Since 2024 the partial-subsidy tier is gone, so everyone who qualifies now gets the full subsidy.
- Income limit (2026): up to about $1,995 a month for an individual, $2,705 for a couple
- Resource limits: $16,590 for an individual, $33,100 for a married couple
- If you qualify for QMB, SLMB, or SLMB135, you're enrolled in Extra Help automatically
Apply through Social Security at ssa.gov or call 1-800-772-1213.
Medicare Enrollment Periods
Miss a deadline and you can face coverage gaps or permanent penalties. These dates are federal and the same in New Hampshire as everywhere else.
| Period | Dates | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| Initial Enrollment | 7 months around your 65th birthday | Sign up for Parts A, B, and D; pick MA or Medigap |
| Annual Open Enrollment | Oct 15 - Dec 7 | Switch MA plans, move between MA and Original Medicare, change Part D |
| MA Open Enrollment | Jan 1 - Mar 31 | Switch MA plans or drop MA for Original Medicare (if already in MA) |
| General Enrollment | Jan 1 - Mar 31 | Sign up for Part B if you missed your initial window |
| Medigap Open Enrollment | 6 months from age 65 + Part B | Buy any Medigap plan at the standard rate, no health screening |
Changes you make during Annual Open Enrollment take effect the following January 1. If you're already getting Social Security before 65, you're enrolled in Parts A and B automatically; if not, you sign up yourself through Social Security.
Free Medicare Help: NH ServiceLink SHIP
You don't have to figure this out alone, and you don't have to pay a broker. New Hampshire's Medicare counseling program runs through ServiceLink ADRC, the Aging and Disability Resource Center network under NH DHHS, which serves as the state's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). Counselors are trained and certified, give free and unbiased help, and don't sell insurance or take commissions.
A ServiceLink SHIP counselor can help you:
- Understand your Medicare options and what each part covers
- Compare Medicare Advantage, Part D, and Medigap plans side by side
- Apply for Medicare Savings Programs and Extra Help
- Sort out claims, denials, and appeals
Call 1-866-634-9412 to reach a ServiceLink counselor near you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most people pay $0 for Part A. The standard Part B premium is $202.90 a month with a $283 annual deductible. Part D premiums vary by plan (the 2026 average is about $46.50), and many Medicare Advantage plans charge no extra premium. Your total depends on the plan you pick and the care you use.
No. New Hampshire has no annual birthday rule or other state-created window to switch Medigap plans without health questions. Your one guaranteed-issue window is the six months that begin when you're 65 and enrolled in Part B. After that, insurers can use medical underwriting, so the safest time to buy Medigap is during that initial window.
SLMB135 is New Hampshire's label for the federal Qualifying Individual (QI) Medicare Savings Program. It covers the Part B premium for people with income between 120% and 135% of the Federal Poverty Level, roughly $1,816 a month for an individual or $2,455 for a couple in 2026. Apply through NH DHHS; a ServiceLink counselor (1-866-634-9412) can help with the application.
Apply for a Medicare Savings Program through NH DHHS at dhhs.nh.gov, and apply for Extra Help with Part D through Social Security at 1-800-772-1213. QMB covers all your Medicare premiums and cost-sharing if your income and assets are under the 2026 limits. A ServiceLink SHIP counselor (1-866-634-9412) can walk you through both applications for free.
NH DHHS runs Medicare counseling through the ServiceLink ADRC network, the state's SHIP program. Counselors are free, unbiased, and don't sell insurance. Reach them at 1-866-634-9412.
Learn More
- Medicare: The National Guide
- Original Medicare vs. Medicare Advantage
- How Medigap Works
- Medicare Part D Drug Coverage
- Medicare Savings Programs
- Medicare Enrollment Periods
Find personalized help with Medicare in New Hampshire 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.