Extra Help and Medicare Savings Programs in New Jersey

New Jersey residents with limited income can get help with Medicare costs from two places. Medicare Savings Programs (MSPs) are state programs that pay Medicare costs for you: the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary program (QMB) pays your Part A and Part B premiums plus Medicare deductibles, coinsurance and copays, while the Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary program (SLMB) and the Qualifying Individual program (QI) pay your Part B premium. For 2026, New Jersey lists the QMB income limit at $15,960 a year for one person and the QI limit at $21,546. Extra Help, run by Social Security, lowers Part D premiums, deductibles and copays. If you qualify for QMB, SLMB or QI, you automatically qualify for Extra Help. This guide walks through the 2026 limits, a worked example and how to apply.

New Jersey Medicare Savings Programs at a glance

New Jersey publishes its 2026 Medicare Savings Program limits as yearly income figures, with one asset limit that applies to all three programs. The monthly amounts in the table are the yearly figures divided by 12, to make them easier to compare with a Social Security deposit.

Income here means money coming in, such as Social Security, a pension or wages. Assets (also called resources) means money and property you own, such as bank accounts and investments.

Source: NJ Medicare Savings Programs (2026 income and asset limits).

What QMB does that SLMB and QI do not

QMB is the most complete program. Besides your premiums, it pays Medicare deductibles, coinsurance and copays. For 2026 that includes the $283 Part B deductible and the $1,736 Part A hospital deductible (CMS). If you have QMB, show your Medicare card and your QMB proof at every visit so the office bills correctly.

SLMB and QI pay your Part B premium only. You are still responsible for deductibles and the 20 percent Part B coinsurance, so many people on SLMB or QI still want a plan that limits those costs.

There is also a fourth federal program, Qualified Disabled and Working Individuals (QDWI), which pays only the Part A premium for certain working people with disabilities who lost premium-free Part A (Medicare.gov). New Jersey's Medicare Savings Program page lists QMB, SLMB and QI; if you think QDWI may fit, ask your county welfare agency.

A worked example: one person on $1,500 a month

This is an illustration only, not a decision: the state makes the actual determination. Say you live alone in Camden County, your only income is $1,500 a month from Social Security ($18,000 a year), and you have $6,000 in savings.

• QMB: $18,000 is above the $15,960 yearly limit, so QMB is out.
• SLMB: $18,000 is under the $19,152 limit, and $6,000 is under the $9,950 asset limit, so you would likely qualify. SLMB pays your Part B premium: $202.90 a month, about $2,435 a year in 2026, and that money comes back into your Social Security deposit once the state starts paying.
• Extra Help: SLMB approval qualifies you automatically. You would pay no Part D deductible, and in 2027 no more than $5.80 for a generic drug or $14.40 for a brand-name drug (CMS).
• Premium: for 2027, two New Jersey standalone basic drug plans, Wellcare Classic ($24.30) and Humana Basic Rx Plan ($28.30), are priced below the $36.28 low-income premium amount, so your premium in either would be $0 with full Extra Help (CMS 2027 Landscape).
• Added together, the help is worth well over $2,400 a year before counting any drug savings.

Extra Help with Part D drug costs

Extra Help, also called the Low-Income Subsidy (LIS), helps pay Part D premiums, deductibles and copays. According to Social Security, in 2026 you may qualify with yearly income below $23,940 for one 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).

Everyone who qualifies now gets the full benefit: no Part D deductible and low fixed copays. In 2026 the copays are up to $5.10 for generics and $12.65 for brand-name drugs; for 2027 CMS raises them to $5.80 and $14.40, with lower amounts for some people who also have full Medicaid (CMS CY2027 Rate Announcement).

New Jersey is one Part D region. For 2027 it has 11 standalone Part D plans, and the low-income premium amount is $36.28 a month (CMS 2027 Landscape). Basic plans priced at or below that amount cost $0 a month with full Extra Help: for 2027 those are Wellcare Classic and Humana Basic Rx Plan. Wellcare Value Script ($5.30) costs less, but it is an enhanced plan, and Extra Help only covers the basic part of an enhanced plan's premium, so it is not automatically $0. In any other plan, Extra Help pays up to $36.28 a month and you pay the rest.

Source: CY2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D Rate Announcement.

How Extra Help and the NJ programs fit with PAAD

New Jersey also runs its own drug programs, PAAD and Senior Gold, with much higher income limits: for 2026, PAAD is open to single people with income under $54,943 and married people under $62,390. PAAD members must also be enrolled in a Part D plan. Many people who qualify for an MSP or Extra Help also qualify for PAAD, which is why one NJSave application covers several programs. Our guide to PAAD and Senior Gold in New Jersey explains how those work.

How to apply in New Jersey

• Medicare Savings Programs: apply through NJSave, New Jersey's application for several assistance programs, online or on paper. For help, call the NJSave hotline at 1-800-792-9745.
• Your county welfare agency (board of social services) handles NJ FamilyCare and can tell you where your application stands. In Camden County that is the Camden County Board of Social Services, (856) 225-8800.
• Extra Help: apply with Social Security online at ssa.gov, by phone at 1-800-772-1213, or at a local office. Approval for QMB, SLMB or QI qualifies you automatically, so you may not need a separate application.
• Use your full legal name and make sure your name and date of birth match Social Security records exactly, so the state can start paying your Part B premium without delay.

Documents to have ready

• Your red, white and blue Medicare card and a photo ID.
• Your Social Security benefit letter for this year, and statements for any pension, annuity or other income.
• Recent statements for checking, savings, retirement and investment accounts.
• Proof you live in New Jersey, such as a utility bill or lease, if your ID shows an old address.
• Any health or drug insurance cards you have now, including a Medicare Advantage or Part D card.
• If you are still working, recent pay stubs.

Local offices in South Jersey and Union County

Source: NJ County Offices on Aging (Area Agencies on Aging and ADRC).

Medicare Savings Programs and a Medicare Supplement

If you get QMB, it pays the Medicare deductibles and coinsurance a Medigap policy would cover, so many people find a supplement is no longer needed. Before you cancel a Medigap policy, ask the insurance company whether it can be suspended instead, because New Jersey has no birthday rule and buying a new policy later may involve health questions.

SLMB and QI pay only the Part B premium, so a supplement can still be worth keeping for the 20 percent coinsurance and hospital costs.

What Jackie checks for you

When income or savings look close to the limits, this is what Jackie goes through with you before comparing any plan, because a program can change which plan makes sense:

• Your yearly income against the 2026 New Jersey limits for QMB, SLMB and QI, and your savings against the $9,950 single or $14,910 couple asset limit.
• Whether you already get Extra Help: your Part D plan or a Social Security letter will say so.
• Whether you also qualify for PAAD or Senior Gold, and which Part D plan works with them.
• Which 2027 Part D plans have a $0 premium with full Extra Help: Wellcare Classic and Humana Basic Rx Plan, the two New Jersey basic plans below the $36.28 amount.
• Whether a Medigap policy you pay for would duplicate what QMB covers.

Questions to ask when you apply

• Has my application been received, and which documents are still missing?
• From what month will the state start paying my Part B premium?
• Will I get an approval letter, and should I keep a copy for my drug plan?
• If I qualify for QMB, how do I show it to my doctors and the hospital?

What changes in your Medicare choices

Qualifying for help opens more options. People with Extra Help or a Medicare Savings Program can change drug coverage outside the usual fall window, and people with full NJ FamilyCare can look at dual-eligible Special Needs Plans: Camden County has 5 for 2027 (CMS 2027 Landscape). Our Medicare and NJ FamilyCare guide explains how the two programs work together.

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The bottom line

If your income is under $21,546 a year single or $29,214 married, and your savings are under $9,950 single or $14,910 married, check the New Jersey Medicare Savings Programs: the state may pay your $202.90 Part B premium, and QMB pays your Medicare cost-sharing too. Approval also brings Extra Help, which removes the Part D deductible and caps copays. Applying costs nothing. Jackie is glad to walk through the numbers with you by phone, Zoom or in person at no cost: call or text (856) 727-4221.