Kentucky Medicare Savings Program: 2026 Income Limits, Benefits, and How to Apply

What the Kentucky Medicare Savings Program Covers

Kentucky's Medicare Savings Programs pay some or all of your Medicare costs — premiums, deductibles, and coinsurance — depending on which level you qualify for. The programs are administered by the Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) within the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, with local offices in all 120 Kentucky counties.

There are four tiers, each covering different costs:

• QMB (Qualified Medicare Beneficiary): Pays Part A premiums, Part B premiums, deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments — the most comprehensive coverage.
• SLMB (Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary): Pays the Part B monthly premium.
• QI (Qualifying Individual): Also pays the Part B premium, funded through a capped federal allotment on a first-come, first-served basis.
• QDWI (Qualified Disabled and Working Individual): Pays the Part A premium for certain working disabled individuals.

QMB, SLMB, and QI enrollees are automatically deemed eligible for Extra Help (the Medicare Part D Low-Income Subsidy), which limits 2026 copays to no more than $12.65 per covered drug; some enrollees pay less or $0.

2026 Income and Resource Limits

Kentucky uses the federal poverty level guidelines updated each April, plus a standard $20 monthly unearned income disregard. That $20 is subtracted from your gross Social Security (or other unearned income) before comparing to the limits below.

Your primary home, one car, household goods, and up to $1,500 in designated burial funds are not counted as resources. Prepaid irrevocable burial contracts are also fully excluded regardless of value.

A worked example: if your gross Social Security is $1,365 per month and you have $2,200 in a checking account, your countable income after the $20 disregard is $1,345. That falls under the QMB single limit of $1,350, so you qualify for full QMB coverage — your Part B premium is returned to your Social Security check, and all deductibles and coinsurance are covered.

How to Apply in Kentucky

You have four application channels:

1. Online through kynect at kynect.ky.gov — create an account, complete the non-MAGI Medicaid section, and upload documents.
2. By phone — call DCBS at 1-855-306-8959 or the kynect line at 1-855-459-6328.
3. Paper form MAP-205 — the dedicated Medicare Savings Program application, available at any DCBS county office. Mail it to the Office of the Kentucky Health Benefit Exchange, 12 Mill Creek Park, Frankfort, KY 40601, or return it to your local DCBS office. You can also fax it to the DCBS Centralized Mail Room at 502-573-2005 or 502-573-2007.
4. In person at any of Kentucky's 120 county DCBS offices.

If you're applying on behalf of a parent, submit Form MAP-14 (Interested Party Authorization) alongside the application. Processing takes 20 to 40 days in practice, though federal rules require a decision within 45 calendar days.

What Happens After Approval

Once DCBS approves your MSP enrollment, the Department for Medicaid Services adds you to the CMS state buy-in file. Social Security then stops deducting the Part B premium from your check — but this takes 60 to 90 days to process. Any premiums collected during that gap are refunded automatically by SSA. Do not cancel Part B while waiting, because that would destroy your underlying Medicare coverage.

QMB enrollees also gain federal balance-billing protections: no Medicare-enrolled provider may bill you for deductibles, coinsurance, or copayments. If you receive a balance bill, you have the right to dispute it.

Keeping Your Benefits at Renewal

DCBS redetermines eligibility every 12 months. The agency first tries to verify your income and assets automatically through federal and state databases (an "ex parte" renewal). If the data checks out, you receive a passive notice and don't need to do anything.

If automated verification fails, DCBS mails a renewal packet with a 30-day deadline. Missing this deadline can terminate your coverage — but Kentucky provides a 90-day grace period after termination. If you submit the completed packet within those 90 days, DCBS reinstates coverage back to the closure date without requiring a brand-new application.

For a step-by-step walkthrough of every MSP tier, the application process, required documents, and QMB billing protections specific to Kentucky, the Kentucky Medicare Savings Programs & Extra Help Guide consolidates everything in one place.

See more Kentucky guides →