Extra Help and Medicare Savings Programs in Arizona
If your income is limited, Arizona's Medicare Savings Programs through AHCCCS can pay your Part B premium, and Extra Help can lower your drug costs. Here are the 2026 limits, what each program pays, and how to apply.
Arizona residents with limited income can get help with Medicare costs from two sources. Medicare Savings Programs, run by AHCCCS (Arizona Medicaid), can pay your Part B premium and, with QMB, your Medicare deductibles and coinsurance. As of February 1, 2026, AHCCCS sets the QMB limit at $1,330 a month for a single person, with SLMB and QI covering incomes up to $1,796. Extra Help, run by Social Security, lowers Part D premiums and copays. In 2026 it is available to single people with income below $23,940 and resources below $18,090. If you qualify for a Medicare Savings Program, you automatically qualify for Extra Help.
Medicare Savings Programs through AHCCCS
Arizona offers three Medicare Savings Programs. Each has an income limit, and AHCCCS applies its own income counting rules, so your countable income may be lower than your gross income.
| Program | What it pays | Single, per month | Couple, per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| QMB (Qualified Medicare Beneficiary) | Part A premium (if any), Part B premium, and Medicare deductibles, coinsurance and copays | Up to $1,330 | Up to $1,804 |
| SLMB (Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary) | Part B premium | $1,330.01 to $1,596 | $1,804.01 to $2,164 |
| QI-1 (Qualifying Individual) | Part B premium | $1,596.01 to $1,796 | $2,164.01 to $2,435 |
What QMB does that the others do not
QMB is the most complete of the three. Besides premiums, it pays Medicare deductibles, coinsurance and copays. Providers who accept Medicare are not allowed to bill a QMB member for Medicare cost-sharing for covered services. If you are on QMB and get a bill like that, show the provider your QMB coverage and call 1-800-MEDICARE if it continues.
SLMB and QI-1 pay only the Part B premium. QI-1 is funded year by year and is first come, first served, and you cannot be on QI-1 and another AHCCCS medical program at the same time.
Extra Help with Part D drug costs
Extra Help, also called the Low-Income Subsidy, helps pay Part D premiums, deductibles and copays. According to Social Security, in 2026 you may qualify with annual income below $23,940 for a single person or $32,460 for a married couple living together, and resources below $18,090 single or $36,100 married. Those resource limits include an allowance for burial expenses; CMS lists them as $16,590 and $33,100 without it.
Your home, one car and personal belongings do not count as resources. Bank accounts, stocks and bonds do.
With Extra Help, there is no Part D deductible and your copays are low. For 2027, CMS caps Extra Help copays at $5.80 for generics and $14.40 for brand-name drugs, and lower for people with full Medicaid at or below 100 percent of the poverty level (CMS CY2027 Rate Announcement). Extra Help can also pay all or most of a Part D plan premium.
AHCCCS, dual eligibility and Special Needs Plans
If you qualify for full AHCCCS coverage as well as Medicare, you are dual eligible. Many dual-eligible Arizonans choose a Dual-eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP), a Medicare Advantage plan designed to coordinate Medicare and AHCCCS benefits. According to the CY2027 CMS Landscape file, Maricopa and Pinal counties each have 10 D-SNPs for 2027.
People with AHCCCS, a Medicare Savings Program or Extra Help also have more chances to change their Medicare coverage during the year than other beneficiaries, so you are not locked in until the next Annual Enrollment Period.
How to apply in Arizona
- Medicare Savings Programs and AHCCCS: apply online through Health-e-Arizona Plus, or call AHCCCS at 602-417-4000 or 1-800-654-8713.
- Extra Help: apply online with Social Security at ssa.gov, or call 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778).
- If you are approved for QMB, SLMB or QI-1, Social Security is notified and you automatically get Extra Help; you do not need a separate application.
- Arizona SHIP counselors can help you prepare your application at no cost: 1-800-432-4040.
- Have ready: proof of income (Social Security award letter, pension statements), bank statements, your Medicare card and ID.
What happens after you are approved
- For a Medicare Savings Program, AHCCCS pays your Part B premium directly. It can take a few months for the deduction to stop showing on your Social Security payment; any premiums deducted after your approval date are usually refunded.
- With Extra Help, Medicare may enroll you in a Part D plan if you do not choose one. You can switch to a plan that fits your drugs better, and you have more chances during the year to do so.
- Your pharmacy should charge the lower Extra Help copays. If it does not, show your approval letter and ask the pharmacist to check with your plan.
- AHCCCS and Social Security review eligibility periodically. Open your mail and respond to renewal requests on time so your help does not lapse.
Reasons people miss out
- Assuming a home or car disqualifies them. Your home and one vehicle do not count toward Extra Help resources.
- Looking at gross income instead of countable income after the allowed deductions.
- Not knowing that couples have their own, higher limits.
- Thinking the programs are only for people already on AHCCCS. Many people qualify for a Medicare Savings Program or Extra Help without full AHCCCS coverage.
- Giving up after being denied once. If your income or resources change, for example after a spouse dies or a pension ends, apply again.
Who in the East Valley should check
People often assume they earn too much without checking. A single person in Chandler or Mesa living mainly on Social Security of about $1,700 a month may already fall within QI-1, depending on how AHCCCS counts income. Couples, widows and widowers whose income dropped after a spouse died, and people who stopped working and now live on a smaller pension, are the groups we most often see who qualify and did not know it.
If you are close to a limit, apply anyway. The worst outcome is a no. If you qualify, the state pays your Part B premium and Extra Help cuts your drug costs.
Adult children helping a parent can start the process too. Health-e-Arizona Plus lets someone help a family member apply, and Arizona SHIP counselors regularly walk families through the paperwork. Gather the award letters and bank statements first; the application goes faster when the documents are ready.
Once approved, review the Medicare coverage itself. Someone on QMB, for example, may find that a Dual-eligible Special Needs Plan coordinates their benefits better than the plan they chose before they had help, and the extra enrollment chances mean they do not have to wait for the fall to change.
The bottom line
If your income is near or below the 2026 limits, apply. Arizona's Medicare Savings Programs through AHCCCS can pay your Part B premium, and QMB also covers Medicare cost-sharing; Extra Help lowers drug costs and comes automatically with any Medicare Savings Program. Apply through Health-e-Arizona Plus or AHCCCS for the state programs and through Social Security for Extra Help, and call Arizona SHIP or us if you would like help.
Want to go through this with someone?
Viola Lucero and the Rise Up Benefits team in Chandler will go through your doctors, your prescriptions and your real numbers, and explain plainly what we found. We speak insurance, so you don't have to.
Prefer to learn in a group? See our Medicare workshops online or in Chandler, the events calendar, and official CMS videos and forms on our Resources page.
Sources
- AHCCCS income standards for Medicare Savings Programs (effective February 1, 2026), Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS)
- AHCCCS Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) program, Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS)
- Understanding the Extra Help with your Medicare prescription drug plan (2026), Social Security Administration
- CY2026 resource and cost-sharing limits for the low-income subsidy, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- CY2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D Rate Announcement, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- 2026 Medicare Parts A and B premiums and deductibles, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- CMS Medicare Advantage and Part D Landscape, contract year 2027 (Maricopa and Pinal counties, Arizona), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Please note: We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, or your local State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) to get information on all of your options. Rise Up Benefits Group is not connected with or endorsed by the United States government or the federal Medicare program. Medicare has neither endorsed nor reviewed this information.