Help Paying Medicare Part B Premium in South Carolina
The 2026 Medicare Part B premium is $202.90 per month — $2,434.80 a year pulled directly from your parent's Social Security check. For someone living on $1,200 or $1,400 a month, that deduction is the difference between covering basics and choosing between medication and groceries. South Carolina has programs that pay it.
Three Programs, One Goal
South Carolina's Medicare Savings Programs cover the Part B premium for people under certain income and asset thresholds. All three are run by SCDHHS through Healthy Connections Medicaid:
QMB pays the Part B premium plus all Medicare deductibles, coinsurance, and copays. Income ceiling: $1,350/month individual, $1,824/month couple (after the $20 disregard).
SLMB pays only the Part B premium. Income ceiling: $1,616/month individual, $2,184/month couple.
QI also pays only the Part B premium, but it's funded by a capped block grant and awarded first-come, first-served. Income ceiling: $1,816/month individual, $2,455/month couple.
All three share the same asset limits: $9,950 individual, $14,910 couple. Your parent's home and one car are excluded from the count.
How the Premium Stops
Once SCDHHS approves the application, they send an electronic buy-in record to CMS, which tells Social Security to stop deducting the Part B premium. The coordination between these three federal and state agencies takes time — typically 60 to 90 days after approval before the deduction actually stops.
Any premiums deducted after the effective coverage date are refunded retroactively. The refund comes from Social Security, not SCDHHS, so it arrives as a lump-sum adjustment to the monthly benefit check.
What About Part A Premiums?
Most Medicare beneficiaries get Part A premium-free through work history. But for those who don't have 40 quarters of Social Security credits, the Part A premium can run up to $565/month. QMB covers this too — but enrolling requires a conditional Part A application at the Social Security office during the General Enrollment Period (January through March), because South Carolina is a Group Payer state. The process is specific and timing-sensitive.
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Beyond the Premium
The premium savings alone make applying worthwhile, but QMB enrollees also get protection from medical cost-sharing. A hospital stay with a $1,736 deductible, a $434/day coinsurance charge for extended stays — QMB covers all of it. And every MSP tier triggers automatic enrollment in Extra Help, which eliminates the Part D drug deductible and caps copays at $5.10 for generics.
If your parent is losing a significant chunk of their Social Security to the Part B premium, the South Carolina Medicare Savings Programs & Extra Help Guide walks through the full eligibility check, application steps, and how to track the premium refund once approved.
Get Your Free South Carolina — Medicare Savings Program Eligibility Checklist
Download the South Carolina — Medicare Savings Program Eligibility Checklist — a printable guide with checklists, scripts, and action plans you can start using today.