Medicare Savings Programs in Mississippi: 2026 income limits and how to apply

Who qualifies

You can get help if you:

• Have Medicare Part A (hospital insurance).
• Live in Mississippi.
• Have total monthly income at or below the limit for your group.

There is no age rule beyond being on Medicare, so people under 65 with Medicare because of a disability can qualify too.

2026 income limits

These are the Division of Medicaid's limits in its chart revised March 1, 2026.

No asset test

In most states you must also have limited savings. Mississippi does not check savings, property or other assets for QMB, SLMB or QI. Only your income matters. If you were turned away in the past because of savings, you may qualify now.

What counts as income

Mississippi uses what it calls a "liberalized" income policy for these three programs. Under the state's Medicaid income rules:

• A bigger amount is ignored. The first $50 of your monthly income is not counted. Most Medicaid groups ignore only $20. This is why Mississippi's limits are higher than the federal chart.
• Help with food or housing from others does not count. If a relative lets you live with them or pays for your groceries, that help is not counted as income.
• Small interest is ignored. Interest, dividends and royalties of up to $5 a month per person are not counted.
• Married couples. If you are married and live together, your incomes are added together and compared with the couple limit, even if only one of you applies.
• Some yearly raises are held off. In some years, cost-of-living raises in Social Security, VA, Railroad Retirement or Civil Service benefits are not counted until the new poverty levels come out, so a January raise does not knock you off.

Some other money is never counted, such as tax refunds, the Earned Income Tax Credit, help with home weatherization, and VA Aid and Attendance or Housebound payments.

What each program pays

QMB (Qualified Medicare Beneficiary)

• Pays your Part A premium (if you have one) and your Part B premium.
• Pays your Medicare deductibles and coinsurance. Doctors and hospitals that take Medicare may not bill you for these.
• You get a Medicaid card.
• Coverage starts the month after you are approved. QMB does not pay for past months.

SLMB (Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary)

• Pays only your Part B premium.
• Can start up to three months before the month you apply, if you qualified then.
• You do not get a Medicaid card or other Medicaid benefits.

QI (Qualifying Individual)

• Pays only your Part B premium.
• Can also go back up to three months.
• QI is paid from a limited yearly federal amount. If that money runs out, the program could be affected.

Extra Help comes with it

If you are approved for any of the three, you also get Extra Help with Part D drug costs. The Division of Medicaid suggests choosing a $0-premium "benchmark" drug plan. If you do not pick one, Medicare will choose one for you. For plan questions, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).

How to apply

1. Gather papers. Have your Medicare card and recent proof of your income ready, such as your Social Security award letter and pension statements. Mississippi checks many facts through electronic records and should ask you only for papers it cannot get that way.
2. Apply one of these ways:
   • Online at access.ms.gov.
   • Call or visit a Medicaid Regional Office and ask for an application. There are 30 offices. Call 800-421-2408 to find yours.
   • Fill out the Application for Aged, Blind and Disabled Individuals and mail it to the Division of Medicaid, P.O. Box 2222, Jackson, MS 39225, or fax it to 601-576-4164.
   • Apply at your local Social Security office, or online at socialsecurity.gov/extrahelp. The Division of Medicaid lists both as ways to apply.
3. Wait for a decision. By state rule, the Division of Medicaid must decide within 45 days of the date you file.
4. Watch your check. Once approved, it takes four to six weeks before the Part B premium stops coming out of your Social Security check. Premiums taken out after your start date are refunded.

After you are approved

• Renewals: Your eligibility is reviewed at least once every 12 months. Often the state renews you using records it already has. If you get a renewal form, you have at least 30 days to return it. If your case closes because you sent it back late, it can be reopened if you return the form within 90 days.
• Report changes in income, address or marriage within 10 days.
• Appeals: If you are denied or cut off, you can ask for a hearing within 30 days of the date the notice was mailed. You can ask in writing, in person at a Regional Office, or orally to a Medicaid specialist. To keep your benefits during the appeal, your request must reach the Regional Office within 10 days of the notice. If you lose at the local hearing, you have 15 days to ask for a state hearing.

Things people often miss

• Savings do not matter here. Do not skip applying because you own a home, a car, or have money in the bank.
• Being a little over is not the end. Because the first $50 is ignored and help from family is not counted, apply even if your income looks close to the limit.
• QMB starts later than SLMB and QI. Apply as soon as you can, because QMB cannot be paid back for earlier months.
• Tell your doctors you have QMB. Show your Medicaid card so you are not billed for Medicare deductibles and coinsurance.

Free help

• Mississippi SHIP, run by the Mississippi Department of Human Services, gives free one-on-one help with Medicare and these programs. Call 844-822-4622 or 601-709-0624, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Division of Medicaid: 800-421-2408.

For other programs, see all benefits in Mississippi. You can also read about Medicare and Extra Help.

Phone numbers: Free help lines for Mississippi agencies

Check what you may qualify for