Hawaii QI Program: Medicare Part B Premium Help Up to $2,066/Month Income
What the QI Program Covers
QI — Qualifying Individual — pays your parent's Medicare Part B premium, the same $202.90/month that SLMB covers. The difference is the income limit: QI reaches seniors with income up to $2,066/month as an individual in Hawaii, compared to $1,836 for SLMB.
QI doesn't cover deductibles, copays, or coinsurance. It's premium-only relief. But for a senior whose Social Security runs between $1,837 and $2,066/month, QI recovers $2,434.80/year that would otherwise come out of a fixed income.
2026 QI Income and Asset Limits
| Individual | Couple | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly income limit | $2,066 | $2,801 |
| Resource limit | $9,950 | $14,910 |
These limits reflect Hawaii's higher Federal Poverty Level guidelines (120–135% of Hawaii FPL) with the standard $20 income disregard already factored in. The mainland QI limit is lower — around $1,815 for an individual — so a Hawaii senior earning $1,900/month qualifies here but wouldn't in most other states.
Two Things That Make QI Different
Annual reapplication. Unlike QMB and SLMB, QI requires you to reapply every year. Coverage doesn't carry forward automatically. Med-QUEST sends a renewal notice, and if the paperwork isn't returned, coverage ends. Families helping a parent manage QI need to mark the renewal window and respond promptly.
Federally capped funding. QI runs on a capped federal allotment, awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. In practice, Hawaii hasn't run out of QI slots, but the structure means there's no guarantee of enrollment if you apply late in a fiscal year.
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Retroactive Coverage
Like SLMB, QI allows up to three months of retroactive coverage before the application month, provided your parent met all financial criteria during those months. If your parent applies in June and was eligible in March, April, and May, Med-QUEST can authorize coverage going back to March. That's up to $608.70 in refunded Part B premiums.
This is a practical difference from QMB, which starts only the month after approval with no look-back.
QI Triggers Extra Help Automatically
Once Med-QUEST approves QI, your parent automatically qualifies for Extra Help (Part D Low-Income Subsidy). Prescription copays drop to $5.10 for generics and $12.65 for brand-name drugs, and the Part D deductible is eliminated. No separate application needed.
How to Apply
Same process as QMB and SLMB — applications go through Med-QUEST:
- Online: medical.mybenefits.hawaii.gov
- Phone: 1-800-316-8005
- Paper: Form DHS 1100 plus DHS 1100B to your island's eligibility office
Processing takes up to 45 days. After approval, SSA needs another 60 to 90 days to stop deducting the Part B premium, but over-deducted premiums get refunded.
Is QI the Right Tier?
If your parent's income is close to the SLMB limit ($1,836), run the earned income exclusions before defaulting to QI. Part-time wages get the first $65 excluded plus half the remainder, which can sometimes bring countable income below the SLMB or even QMB cutoff — and QMB covers far more than premiums alone.
The Hawaii Medicare Savings Programs & Extra Help Guide includes the full income worksheet for every tier, the renewal calendar for QI's annual reapplication, and the complete document checklist for the Med-QUEST application.
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