Hawaii SLMB Program: Part B Premium Help for Seniors Over the QMB Limit
What SLMB Covers
SLMB — Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary — pays your parent's Medicare Part B premium. In 2026, that's $202.90 every month, or $2,434.80 per year, back in their Social Security check.
SLMB doesn't cover deductibles, copays, or coinsurance the way QMB does. It's strictly premium relief. But for a senior whose gross Social Security is between $1,531 and $1,836/month — too high for QMB but still tight — getting the Part B premium back is real money.
2026 SLMB Income and Asset Limits in Hawaii
Hawaii's Federal Poverty Level runs about 15% higher than the 48 contiguous states. The 2026 SLMB limits (with the $20 monthly income disregard already factored in):
| Individual | Couple | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly income limit | $1,836 | $2,490 |
| Resource limit | $9,950 | $14,910 |
Gross monthly income is the number Med-QUEST uses — before the Part B deduction, before tax withholding, before anything comes out. If the Social Security benefit letter shows $1,750/month, that's the number, even though the bank deposit is lower.
Asset exemptions are the same as QMB: the home is fully exempt, one car, household goods, burial plots, and life insurance under $1,500 face value.
SLMB Has Retroactive Coverage
This is where SLMB differs from QMB in a way that matters. SLMB can cover up to three months before the month you applied, as long as your parent met the financial criteria during those prior months.
If your parent applies in April 2026 and was eligible in January, February, and March, Med-QUEST can authorize coverage going back to January. That means three months of Part B premiums — $608.70 — get refunded by SSA once the buy-in processes.
QMB, by contrast, starts only the month after approval, with no retroactive coverage.
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How to Apply
Applications go through Med-QUEST using the same forms and channels as QMB:
- Online: KOLEA portal at medical.mybenefits.hawaii.gov
- Phone: 1-800-316-8005
- Paper: Form DHS 1100 plus DHS 1100B to your island's Med-QUEST office
You'll need the Medicare card, Social Security benefit letter, proof of Hawaii residency, and recent bank statements.
Med-QUEST processes applications within 45 days. After approval, SSA takes another 60 to 90 days to stop the Part B premium deduction from your parent's check. Premiums deducted during that lag get refunded.
SLMB Also Triggers Extra Help
Like QMB, SLMB approval automatically enrolls your parent in Extra Help for Part D prescription drugs. Copays drop to $5.10 for generics and $12.65 for brand-name medications, and the Part D deductible disappears.
No separate Extra Help application is needed — CMS handles it once the MSP enrollment goes through.
When SLMB Isn't Enough
SLMB covers the Part B premium but not deductibles or copays. If your parent regularly hits the Part A deductible ($1,736 per hospital stay) or has significant coinsurance costs, it's worth checking whether they actually qualify for QMB at a slightly lower income.
The gap between the QMB limit ($1,530) and the SLMB floor ($1,531) sometimes comes down to a few dollars, and the earned income exclusions — the first $65 plus half the remainder — can bring someone with part-time wages under the QMB cutoff.
The Hawaii Medicare Savings Programs & Extra Help Guide includes the income worksheets that walk through this math for every MSP tier, using Hawaii's actual FPL figures.
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