Help Paying Medicare Part B Premium in Missouri

The Part B Premium Problem

Medicare Part B costs $202.90 per month for most beneficiaries in 2026. That $2,434.80 per year is deducted directly from your Social Security check before you see it. For someone living on $1,300/month in Social Security, that's about 16% of total income going to a single premium — before any copays, deductibles, or prescriptions.

Missouri's Medicare Savings Programs exist specifically to eliminate that deduction.

Three Programs That Pay Part B

All three tiers of Missouri's MSP cover your Part B monthly premium. The difference is what else they cover and who qualifies:

QMB covers Part B premiums, Part A premiums, all deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments. Income limit: $1,255/month individual, $1,703 couple (after $20 disregard).

SLMB covers Part B premiums only. Income limit: $1,506/month individual, $2,044 couple.

QI-1 covers Part B premiums only. Income limit: $1,695/month individual, $2,300 couple.

All three share the same asset limit: $9,660 individual, $14,470 couple. Your home and one vehicle are excluded.

How the Premium Stops Being Deducted

Once FSD approves your application and the state buy-in takes effect with CMS, the Part B premium deduction stops appearing on your Social Security check. For QMB, this happens the first of the month after approval. For SLMB and QI-1, coverage can be retroactive up to three calendar months if you met the criteria during that period — and SSA will reimburse premiums deducted during retroactive months.

The premium reimbursement process runs through SSA's Master Beneficiary Record. It's not instant — the first check without the deduction might take a billing cycle or two after FSD's approval.

Applying

File Form IM-1MSP with Missouri's Family Support Division. You don't need to specify which tier — FSD determines your eligibility for QMB, SLMB, or QI-1 based on the income and asset information you provide. Submit online at mydss.mo.gov, call 855-373-4636, fax to 855-600-3754, or visit an FSD Resource Center.

If your income is above QI-1's ceiling ($1,695 individual), Missouri's MSP programs can't help with Part B premiums. But if you're close to the limit, double-check that FSD is using your gross Social Security (not net) and applying the $20 disregard correctly — the calculation occasionally tips people from "over" to "under."

For a worked example showing how FSD calculates countable income and a full document checklist, the Missouri Medicare Savings guide walks through each program tier and the application process.

See more Missouri guides →