In this section, we will address the various federal and state programs available to help beneficiaries pay for their Medicare costs: Medicare Savings Programs, including the Qualifying Individual (QI), Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB), and Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) programs; Extra Help; Medicare’s Limited Income Newly Eligible Transition program (LI NET); State Pharmaceutical Assistance Programs (SPAPs); and Patient Assistance Programs (PAPs). You will find out how each of these programs works and the Medicare costs each is designed to help cover. You will also learn more about the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA) of 2008, which helps ensure that beneficiaries who apply for one benefit are screened for and, where possible, enrolled in other programs for which they might be eligible.

After taking this section, you will be able to:

• Discuss Medicare Savings Programs and how to screen for them
• Understand the federal Extra Help drug subsidy
• Seek out state-specific assistance programs
• Help beneficiaries apply for an array of programs

• Interactive activities and knowledge quizzes
• Review tests at the end of every section – 80% or higher mark to pass the section and download a certificate of completion
• Educational content vetted by a team of national experts at Medicare Rights Center
• Closed captioning
• An array of printable supplementary tools and fliers