Wyoming Medicare Savings Program Asset Limits
2026 Asset Limits
Wyoming's Medicare Savings Programs (QMB, SLMB, and QI) all use the same asset limits: $9,950 for an individual and $14,910 for a married couple. These are the federal baseline limits — Wyoming has not used its option under Section 1902(r)(2) to raise or eliminate the asset test.
These limits apply to countable resources. The word "countable" matters, because several major assets are completely exempt.
What Does Not Count
Primary residence. Your parent's home is fully excluded regardless of its value, as long as they live in it or intend to return. This is the single biggest misconception families have — many assume the MSP works like nursing home Medicaid, where the home has equity limits and recovery implications. For MSP, the home is simply exempt.
One vehicle. One automobile per household is excluded if it is used for transportation.
Burial plots and funds. Burial spaces for the applicant and immediate family are fully excluded. Dedicated burial funds up to $1,500 per person are also exempt.
Term life insurance. Policies with no cash surrender value are excluded entirely.
Whole life insurance. Policies with total face values of $1,500 or less per individual are excluded.
What Does Count
Bank account balances (checking, savings, CDs) are countable. Stocks, bonds, and mutual funds held outside retirement accounts count. Whole life insurance policies with face values above $1,500 are countable to the extent of their cash surrender value.
Retirement accounts (IRAs, 401(k)s, Keogh plans) are countable to the extent funds can be withdrawn, minus any early withdrawal tax penalties. This means a 401(k) that is not yet accessible due to employer restrictions may not count.
Joint bank accounts are a common trap. Wyoming presumes that 100% of a joint account balance is available to the applicant, even if the co-owner (often an adult child) contributed most of the funds. To rebut that presumption, the applicant must provide written statements, co-owner documentation, bank records showing deposit origins, and proof that the account has been restructured to separate funds.
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No Transfer Penalties
Unlike nursing home Medicaid, the Medicare Savings Program has no look-back period for asset transfers. If your parent gave $5,000 to a grandchild last year, that gift does not trigger a penalty period or disqualify them from QMB, SLMB, or QI. The look-back and transfer penalty rules apply only to institutional Medicaid and HCBS waiver programs.
No Estate Recovery for MSP Benefits
Federal law prohibits Medicaid estate recovery against Medicare Savings Program benefits that paid only for Medicare cost-sharing (premiums, deductibles, coinsurance). If your parent receives QMB, SLMB, or QI and does not also receive long-term care Medicaid, the state cannot pursue their estate after death.
This is one of the most powerful but least understood features of the program. Families routinely skip MSP applications because they fear the state will take the house — a fear based on confusing MSP rules with nursing home Medicaid rules.
The Wyoming Medicare Savings Programs & Extra Help Guide includes a resource worksheet and an estate recovery fact sheet that explains the federal exemption in plain language.
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Download the Wyoming — Medicare Savings Program Eligibility Checklist — a printable guide with checklists, scripts, and action plans you can start using today.