Help Paying Part B Premium Louisiana

Three Programs That Pay the Part B Premium

The standard Medicare Part B premium is $202.90 per month in 2026 — $2,434.80 per year deducted directly from your Social Security check. For someone living on $1,300/month, that's nearly 16% of their income gone before they pay rent or buy groceries.

Louisiana runs three Medicare Savings Programs that can eliminate this deduction:

QMB (Qualified Medicare Beneficiary) — pays the Part B premium plus all Medicare deductibles and coinsurance. Income limit: $1,350/month single, $1,824/month couple.

SLMB (Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary) — pays the Part B premium only. Income limit: $1,616/month single, $2,184/month couple.

QI (Qualifying Individual) — pays the Part B premium only. Income limit: $1,816/month single, $2,455/month couple.

All three programs have no asset test in Louisiana. Your savings account, home, car, and retirement funds cannot disqualify you.

How the Premium Payment Works

These programs don't send you a check. Instead, LDH transmits a "buy-in" file to CMS, which tells SSA to stop deducting the Part B premium from your Social Security benefit.

This process takes 30 to 90 days after LDH approves your application. During that window, SSA continues deducting $202.90 each month. Once the buy-in completes, SSA refunds every premium deducted after your eligibility date as a lump-sum payment — either by direct deposit or paper check.

For SLMB and QI, coverage can be retroactive up to three months before your application date. If you applied in October and met income requirements since July, LDH can direct SSA to refund premiums back to July.

QMB is different — coverage starts the first of the month after approval, with no retroactivity.

Who Qualifies

If your countable monthly income is at or below $1,816 (single) or $2,455 (couple), you likely qualify for at least one of the three programs. Louisiana applies a $20/month general income disregard before comparing your income to the limits, which means your gross Social Security can be slightly higher than the posted threshold.

You must be enrolled in Medicare Part A, be a Louisiana resident, and be a U.S. citizen or qualified alien. Under-65 individuals on Medicare through SSDI also qualify.

Louisiana uses SSI-based income counting, not MAGI. Social Security is counted at the gross amount (before Part B deduction), and pensions, VA benefits, and other unearned income are included. Earned income gets additional disregards — $65 plus half the remainder.

Beyond the Premium: Extra Help With Drug Costs

Getting approved for any of the three programs automatically qualifies you for Extra Help, the Part D Low-Income Subsidy. LDH reports your MSP enrollment to CMS each month, and CMS deems you eligible without a separate application.

Extra Help covers the Part D plan premium (for benchmark plans) and reduces prescription copays to nominal amounts. For beneficiaries whose drug costs are a significant burden, this automatic pathway through LDH is often more valuable than the premium savings alone — and it bypasses the federal asset test that SSA applies to standalone Extra Help applications.

How to Apply

File through any LDH channel: MyMedicaid.la.gov (online, 24/7), the paper BHSF Form 1-MB by mail (P.O. Box 91278, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-9278) or fax (1-877-523-2987), by phone at 1-888-342-6207, or in person at a regional Medicaid office or application center.

The Louisiana Medicare Savings Programs & Extra Help Guide includes the complete income worksheet and a buy-in timeline tracker so you know exactly when to expect the premium deduction to stop and the refund to arrive.

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