What Is Medicare Extra Help? 

Medicare Extra Help is a government pro🌼gram that provides financial assistance to individuals and couples who need help paying for prescription drugs. It’s sometimes referred to as the Low-Income Subsidy (LIS) program. 

Understanding Extra Help

If you qualify for the Medicare Extra Help program, it can help reduce your out-of-pocket costs for Medicare Part D coverage, w🀅hich include your monthly premium, year🐟ly deductible, coinsurance, and copayments.

You can apply for Extra Help before or after you enroll in Part D. If you qualify, you won’t have to pay a 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Part D late enrollment penalty.

Benefits of the Extra Help Program

The government estimates the Extra Help program can save you about $5,300 a year on your prescription drug coverage. Here are the ways it helps: 

• Limits how much a pharmacy can charge you for generic or name-brand drugs
• Eliminates the coverage gap or “donut hole” in your Medicare Part D plan
• Removes the Part D late enrollment penalty

In addition, your application for the Extra Help program can serve as a starting point fo♏r your Medicare Savings Program application. These state-run programs can help you reduce your other healthcare costs, such as Part A and Part B deductibles. 

Where Extra Help Is Unavailable

The Extra Help program isn’t available everywhere. You won’t qualify if yoﷺu live in a U.S. territory, includi🔯ng:

• Puerto Rico
• The U.S. Virgin Islands
• Guam
• The Northern Mariana Islands
• American Samoa

Who Automatically Qualifies 

Some people automatically qualify for Extra Help. If you have full Medicaid coverage, get help paying your 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Part B premiums from a state Medicare Savings Program, or receive 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Supplemental Security Income (SSI), you won’t need to fill out an application for the Extra Help program.ꦚ 

Instead, you’re automatically💧 enrolled and will receive a yellow notice in the mail explaining your enrollment. This notice includes some next steps you can take, including changing your Medicare drug plꦜan. 

Extra Help Eligibility

If you don’t automatically qualify for Extra Help, you can still apply by completing an application through Social Security. However, you must meet certain income and asset requirements to enroll in the program. Here’s a look at the 2023 limits.

How to Enroll in Medicare Extra Help

If you meet the eligibility requirements, you can apply for Extra Help onl♔ine or over the phone. 

Be read🎃y to give information about your income and resources by gathering the following documents: 

• Social Security card
• Bank account statements
• Tax returns
• Pay stubs
• Investment statements
• Benefits award letters

If you’re applying onl💧ine, you can take breaks as needed by clicking on the “Save and Exit” button. You’ll get a reentry number to put in when you’re ready to con🐻tinue your application.

Onc🎃e you submit your application, you’ll be notified in writing if you qualify. Watch for a letter in your mailbox. 

Extra Help Costs

Ex✤tra Help doesn’t cost you anythin💙g to have. Its goal is to save you money. Here’s how much you’ll pay for different coverage factors. 

Before 2024, Social Security ༒offered Partial Extra Help as a secondary level of assistance through the Extra Help Program. If you qualified for it, you’d pay more out-of-pocket expenses than those who qualified for the Full Extra Help. 

However, beginning in 2024, the Partial Extra Help program is going away. Everyone who qualifies for Extra Help will receive the full amount. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The Bottom Line

Extra Help is a valuable program that significantly lowers your 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:out-of-pocket expenses for prescription drug coverage. If you think yo༺u qualify, it’s worth applying to see if you can receive assistance.