Help Paying Medicare Part B Premium Colorado

The 2026 Part B premium is $202.90 a month. For beneficiaries whose premium is deducted from a $1,400 Social Security check, that deduction takes about 14% of the payment before they pay rent, buy groceries, or fill a prescription. Colorado can cover the Part B premium through its Medicare Savings Programs.

Three Programs That Pay the Part B Premium

All three primary MSP tiers cover the Part B premium in full:

QMB — for individuals with countable income at or below $1,350/month (couples: $1,824). QMB goes beyond the premium and also covers Part A premiums, deductibles, coinsurance, and copays.

SLMB — for individuals with countable income between $1,351 and $1,616/month (couples: $1,825-$2,184). Covers the Part B premium only.

QI-1 — for individuals with countable income between $1,617 and $1,816/month (couples: $2,185-$2,455). Also covers the Part B premium only, funded through a federal block grant.

All three have the same resource limits: $11,450 for an individual, $17,910 for a couple, after excluding the home, one vehicle, burial plots, and designated burial funds.

The Income Calculation Most People Get Wrong

Those income limits are net countable income — after Colorado applies a standard $20 monthly disregard to unearned income. If your parent's gross Social Security is $1,370, their countable income is $1,350, which qualifies for QMB.

This disregard trips up families constantly. Someone who looks at the QMB limit of $1,350, checks their parent's $1,365 Social Security deposit, and gives up — that person just abandoned a benefit worth $2,434.80 a year because they didn't subtract the $20 disregard.

And that deposit amount is already reduced by the Part B premium. Colorado evaluates gross Social Security — the full amount before Part B is deducted. So the right comparison is gross Social Security minus $20, measured against the income threshold.

What Happens to the Premium After Approval

Here's where families hit an unexpected wall. After county approval, the Part B premium doesn't vanish from the next Social Security check. HCPF transmits the buy-in enrollment record to CMS, which updates the beneficiary's Social Security record. The process typically takes 60 to 90 days.

During that window, your parent keeps seeing $202.90 deducted every month. That's normal — it doesn't mean the application was denied or the approval didn't work. Once the buy-in processes, SSA retroactively reimburses the premiums that were deducted after the coverage effective date.

For QMB, coverage starts the first day of the month after approval. For SLMB and QI-1, coverage can be retroactive to three months before the application month. Track the approval date from the Notice of Action, count forward, and watch for the lump-sum reimbursement to appear in the Social Security deposit.

The Annual Savings Math

At $202.90/month, the Part B premium costs $2,434.80 per year. For QMB recipients, the savings are even larger — add the $283 Part B annual deductible, 20% coinsurance on every doctor visit and outpatient procedure, and the $1,736 Part A inpatient deductible per benefit period.

A single hospitalization under QMB can save more than $3,000 that the beneficiary would otherwise owe out of pocket.

Getting Started

Apply through Colorado PEAK (peak.my.state.co.us) or your parent's county Department of Human Services using the standard Medical Assistance application. No separate MSP form exists — CBMS evaluates MSP eligibility automatically.

Our Colorado Medicare Savings Programs & Extra Help Guide walks through the income calculation worksheet, the complete application process, and what to do during the buy-in waiting period so the premium reimbursement doesn't fall through the cracks.

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