Medicare  Savings Programs  is also known as Medicare Buy-In programs or Medicare  Premium  Payment Programs ,  this helps you pay your Medicare costs if you have limited income and savings.  There are three main programs each with different benefits and eligibility requirements: Qualified Medicare  Beneficiary  (QMB) : Pays for Medicare Parts A and B  premiums. If you have QMB, typically   you should not be billed   for Medicare-covered services when seeing Medicare providers or providers in your   Medicare Advantage   Plan’s   network . Specified Low-income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB) : Pays for Medicare  Part B  premium. Qualifying Individual (QI) Program : also pays for Medicare Part B premium. If you will enroll, you will also automatically get  Extra Help.   To qualify for an MSP, you must have Medicare  Part A  and meet income and asset guidelines.  If you do not have Pa...

What's Medicare doing to better coordinate my care? Medicare continues to look for ways to better coordinate your care and to make sure that you get the best health care possible. Here are examples of how your health care providers can better coordinate your care: Electronic Health Records (EHRs) EHRs are records that your doctor, other health care provider, medical office staff, or hospital keeps on a computer about your health care or treatments. EHRs can help lower the chances of medical errors, eliminate duplicate tests, and may improve your overall quality of care. Your doctor's EHR may be able to link to a hospital, lab, pharmacy, other doctors, or immunization information systems (registries), so the people who care for you can have a more complete picture of your health. Electronic prescribing This is an electronic way for your prescribers to send your prescriptions directly to your pharmacy. Electronic prescribing can save you money and time, and h...

What if I need help paying my Medicare prescription drug costs? If you have limited income and resources, you may qualify for help to pay some health care and prescription drug costs. Extra Help is a Medicare program to help people with limited income and resources pay Medicare prescription drug costs. You may qualify for Extra Help if your yearly income and resources are below these limits in 2019: These amounts may change in 2020. You may qualify even if you have a higher income. Resources include money in a checking or savings account, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs). Resources  don't include your home, car, household items, burial pots, up to $1,500 for burial expenses (per person), or life insurance policies. If you qualify for Extra Help and join a Medicare drug plan, you'll: Get help paying your Medicare drug plan's costs. Have no late enrollment penalty. Note: Extra Help isn't available in Pue...