Medicare Savings Programs in Rhode Island: 2026 income limits and how to apply

What the program pays for

The Medicare Premium Payment Program uses state money and Medicaid money to pay some of your Medicare costs. In 2026 it has two main levels.

QMB (Qualified Medicare Beneficiary)

QMB pays your Part A premium (if you owe one) and your Part B premium. It also pays your Medicare deductibles, coinsurance and copays. Doctors and hospitals that take Medicare should not bill you for those amounts. In 2026 the Part B premium alone is $202.90 a month.

QI (Qualified Individual)

QI pays your Part B premium only. Funding for QI is limited each year. It is given out first come, first served.

What happened to SLMB

Federal law still lists a middle level called SLMB. Since February 1, 2026, Rhode Island places people who would have fit SLMB into QMB instead. That means you get the fuller QMB help. If you were on SLMB, you were moved to QMB on your own.

Who qualifies in 2026

You must have Medicare Part A (or be able to get it) and live in Rhode Island. The program is for people 65 and over and adults with disabilities who have Medicare.

For comparison, the federal minimum QMB limit is $1,350 a month for one person. Rhode Island's limit is higher because the state's budget added income disregards (amounts of income it does not count). The state put these disregards into its Medicaid rule in October 2026.

The resource limits are the same as the federal limits.

What counts and what does not

Income

• Counted: Social Security, pensions, wages, interest and most other money coming in. Income counts in the month you first get it, including money set aside for you.
• Not counted: All applicants get a $20 income disregard each month. For work income, the first $65 a month and half of the rest are not counted.
• QI and the January raise: For QI, the Social Security cost-of-living raise in January is not counted until the month after the new federal poverty levels come out.
• Spouse's income: For QMB, the state does not "deem" (count) income from family members the way some programs do. For QI, deeming rules do apply.

Resources

Resources are things like cash, bank accounts, stocks and bonds. The state's Medicaid rules do not count:

• your home and the land it sits on
• household goods and personal items
• one car
• burial funds up to $1,500

How to apply, step by step

1. Gather papers. Have your Medicare card, Social Security number, proof of income (such as your Social Security award letter or pension statement) and recent bank statements.
2. Choose how to apply.
   • Online: Log in or create an account at healthyrhode.ri.gov. You can ask for MPPP only, or for Medicaid and MPPP together.
   • By phone: Call DHS at 1-855-697-4347.
   • By mail: Fill out the Medicare Premium Payment application (form MPP-1, in English, Spanish or Portuguese). Mail it to RI Department of Human Services, P.O. Box 8709, Cranston, RI 02920-8787.
   • In person: Put the form in the secure drop box at any DHS office.
3. Or start with Extra Help. If you apply to Social Security for Extra Help with drug costs, the state can use that information to start your MPPP application. Apply online at secure.ssa.gov/i1020/start or call 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778).
4. Answer any letters. DHS may ask for more proof. Send it by the date on the letter.

When coverage starts

• QMB starts the first day of the month after you apply and meet all the rules. QMB does not pay for months before that.
• QI starts in the month you apply. It can also pay for up to three months before you applied, but not before January 1 of that year.

After you are approved

• Extra Help comes with it. If you get QMB or QI, you also get Extra Help with Part D costs automatically.
• Renewals: QMB is approved for 12 months at a time. The state uses a simpler renewal process and may renew you using data it already has. Open and answer every renewal letter.
• QI ends December 31. QI is approved through the end of the calendar year. Renew so you do not lose it.
• Report changes in income, resources or household within 10 days.

If you are denied

You can ask for a fair hearing. File within 35 days of the date at the top of your Benefit Decision Notice. You can:

• log in to healthyrhode.ri.gov and click "file an appeal"
• call HealthSource RI at 1-855-840-4774
• bring the appeal form that came with your notice to a DHS office
• mail it to ATTN: Appeals, State of Rhode Island, P.O. Box 8709, Cranston, RI 02920-8787

If you appeal within 10 days of a notice that cuts or ends your help, your coverage keeps going during the appeal.

Things people miss

• Apply even if your income is above the federal limit. Many online charts show only the federal minimum. Rhode Island's limits are higher.
• Medically needy spend-down. If you are on Medicaid with a spend-down, MPPP pays some Medicare costs that then cannot count toward your spend-down. Ask a DHS eligibility worker before you choose.
• QI money can run out. Apply early in the year if you think you fit QI.

Free help

• Senior Health Insurance Program (SHIP): 1-888-884-8721 (TTY 401-462-0740). Free counselors can help you fill out the form.
• The POINT (Aging and Disability Resource Center): 401-462-4444.

For other programs, see all benefits in Rhode Island.

Phone numbers: Free help lines for Rhode Island agencies

Check what you may qualify for