There is more help than most people are ever told about, and the biggest programs are government ones rather than charities — they are larger, they do not run out of money halfway through the year, and qualifying for one often qualifies you for another. Start there, then look at the charitable funds.
Apply even if you think you earn too much. The limits are higher than people assume, several states are more generous than the federal minimum, a dozen states have no savings test at all, and the way income is counted may work in your favor. The application is free. Being turned down costs you nothing.
Extra Help removes your Part D deductible, pays most or all of your drug plan premium, and caps every prescription copay at a few dollars. It is worth roughly $6,200 a year, and people miss out on it constantly. Since 2024 there are no partial tiers — everyone who qualifies gets the full subsidy.
Savings means bank accounts and investments. It does not count your home, your car, or personal belongings. With Extra Help, generic prescriptions cost at most $5.10 and brand-name ones at most $12.65. Everyone who qualifies now gets the full subsidy — the partial Extra Help tiers were eliminated in 2024. Alaska and Hawaii have higher limits. Once your drug spending passes the annual out-of-pocket cap you pay nothing for covered drugs.
These pay your Part B premium — over $2,400 a year on its own — and the most generous of them, QMB, also stops providers billing you for deductibles and coinsurance altogether. Enrolling in any of the first three automatically gets you Extra Help too.
| Program | Monthly income limit | Savings limit |
|---|---|---|
| QMBQualified Medicare BeneficiaryPays your Part A and Part B premiums, and also your deductibles, coinsurance, and copays. Providers are not allowed to bill you for those amounts. | $1,350 single$1,824 couple | $9,950 single$14,910 couple |
| SLMBSpecified Low-Income Medicare BeneficiaryPays your Part B premium. | $1,616 single$2,184 couple | $9,950 single$14,910 couple |
| QIQualifying IndividualPays your Part B premium. You must reapply every year and it is granted first-come, first-served. | $1,816 single$2,455 couple | $9,950 single$14,910 couple |
| QDWIQualified Disabled and Working IndividualPays your Part A premium if you are working, under 65, and lost premium-free Part A when you returned to work. | $5,405 single$7,299 couple | $4,000 single$6,000 couple |
These are the federal minimums. Many states use higher limits, and 12 states plus DC have no asset limit at all. Apply through your state Medicaid office even if you think you are slightly over — states count income differently than you might expect. Enrolling in QMB, SLMB, or QI automatically qualifies you for Extra Help. Official guidance on Medicare.gov
Wipes out your Part D deductible, pays most or all of your drug plan premium, and caps every prescription copay at a few dollars. Worth roughly $6,200 a year.
Apply through Social Security. Everyone who qualifies now receives the full subsidy — the reduced tiers were eliminated.
Pays your Part B premium, and under the QMB program also your deductibles, coinsurance, and copays — after which providers may not bill you for those amounts.
Apply through your state Medicaid office. Many states use higher limits than the federal minimum, and a dozen have no asset test, so apply even if you think you are slightly over.
Spreads your Part D out-of-pocket costs into level monthly payments across the year instead of one large bill. Every drug plan must offer it.
Anyone with a Part D plan. It does not lower what you owe overall — it changes the timing, which helps most if an expensive drug would otherwise hit you all at once in January.
If you qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid, Medicaid can cover Medicare cost sharing plus services Medicare does not, such as long-term care and non-emergency transportation.
Income and asset rules vary by state. Apply through your state Medicaid agency.
These award grants by diagnosis, and their funds open and close through the year as money comes in. If yours is closed today it is worth checking again in a few weeks — and worth asking to be told when it reopens. Last checked July 25, 2026.
Formerly PAN Foundation and PAF Co-Pay Relief, which merged into TotalAssist in 2026
Grants that pay copays, coinsurance, and deductibles for prescribed treatment, plus some travel and other treatment-related costs.
Funds open and close by diagnosis as money becomes available. Income limits are generous — many people well into the middle class qualify. Check back if your fund is closed.
Grants for copays, premiums, deductibles, and some travel costs, organized by disease fund.
You must have insurance that covers the medication, and income under the fund's limit. Funds open and close through the year.
Formerly the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS)
Copay assistance, urgent-need grants, and travel support for people with blood cancers.
Blood cancer diagnosis. Information Specialists at 1-800-955-4572 can walk you through which fund fits.
Grants toward chemotherapy and targeted-treatment copays.
Diagnosis-specific funds, with income limits set per fund.
Free case managers who negotiate with insurers and providers on your behalf, including help fighting denials and setting up payment plans.
Anyone with a chronic, life-threatening, or debilitating diagnosis.
Every nonprofit hospital in the United States is required by federal law to have a written financial assistance policy, and many forgive bills for households earning far more than people assume. Ask the hospital's financial counselor or billing office for the charity care application by name. Ask before the bill goes to collections, and ask even if you have already been billed — most policies allow you to apply after the fact.
Our financial help finder covers travel, lodging and general cost-of-living assistance alongside copay grants.
Open the financial help finderEvery state has a State Health Insurance Assistance Program — trained counselors who sit down with you one-on-one, go through your own medications and doctors, and help you work out what your options actually cost. It is free, it is confidential, and they earn nothing whichever plan you choose. If you only do one thing on this page, do this one.
