Help Paying Medicare Part B Premium in Kentucky

The Part B Premium Problem

In 2026, Medicare Part B costs $202.90 per month — $2,434.80 per year — deducted directly from your Social Security check before it hits your bank account. For a Kentucky senior living on $1,200 to $1,600 in monthly Social Security, that deduction absorbs 13% to 17% of their entire income before rent, food, or medication.

Kentucky's Medicare Savings Programs can eliminate that deduction entirely.

Three Programs That Pay Your Part B Premium

All three programs below cover the full $202.90 monthly Part B premium. The difference is the income ceiling:

QMB (income up to $1,350/month single, $1,824 couple) — covers Part B premiums plus all deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments. The most comprehensive option.

SLMB (income up to $1,616/month single, $2,184 couple) — covers Part B premium only. No deductible or coinsurance help.

QI (income up to $1,816/month single, $2,455 couple) — same Part B premium benefit as SLMB, funded through a capped federal allotment.

All three share the same resource limits: $9,950 for an individual, $14,910 for a couple. Your home, car, and household goods don't count. Burial spaces and prepaid irrevocable burial contracts are excluded, and a designated burial reserve up to $1,500 per person can be excluded.

Income figures include Kentucky's standard $20 unearned income disregard — DCBS subtracts $20 from your gross Social Security before comparing to the limits.

How the Premium Actually Stops

Once DCBS approves your MSP enrollment, the Department for Medicaid Services adds you to the CMS state buy-in file. That file update triggers the Social Security Administration to stop the Part B deduction.

This process takes 60 to 90 days. During that window, you'll see the $202.90 still being deducted from your check. This is normal — it doesn't mean your application was denied or that something went wrong.

Once the buy-in settles, SSA automatically calculates every premium that was collected after your coverage start date and issues a refund by direct deposit or paper check. If SLMB or QI coverage was backdated up to three months, the refund covers those retroactive months too.

Critical warning: Do not contact SSA to cancel Part B while waiting for the deduction to stop. Canceling Part B ends your Part B coverage. If you need to re-enroll, the applicable enrollment period depends on your circumstances; under the General Enrollment Period (January 1 through March 31), coverage starts the first day of the month after you enroll.

How to Apply

Apply through kynect (kynect.ky.gov), by phone at 1-855-306-8959, or with paper Form MAP-205 at any DCBS county office. You'll need your Social Security award letter, Medicare card, and bank statements covering the most recent one to three months.

For the full income calculation, document checklist, and a month-by-month timeline of when the premium deduction stops and the refund arrives, see the Kentucky Medicare Savings Programs & Extra Help Guide.

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