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See if you may qualify for help with prescription costs.
See if you may qualify for help with prescription costs.
Drug costs are the part of Medicare that surprises people most. This quiz asks whether money is tight and whether prescriptions strain your budget. Both questions point at one federal program called Extra Help.
Extra Help is run by Social Security, not by an insurance company. It lowers what you pay for a Part D drug plan. That can cover the monthly premium, the starting costs, and the amount you pay at the counter. You keep your own drug plan. The help rides along with it.
Once you are approved, Social Security tells your drug plan. Your share at the counter drops, often right away. If the plan does not have the record yet, ask the pharmacy to check again for a different level. Keep your approval letter handy for a few months, since records can lag.
The help is also reviewed. Social Security may send a form asking you to confirm income and savings. Answer it, because ignoring it can end the help. A change in your household, such as a death or a divorce, can shift the result in either direction.
People with Medi-Cal, Supplemental Security Income, or a Medicare Savings Program are signed up without applying.
Anyone else applies to Social Security, online at ssa.gov or by phone.
Some people get a smaller share of the help rather than the full amount.
The tests change
The income and savings tests are set each plan year and are reviewed often. Many people who would qualify never apply, because they assume they earn too much. A denial one year does not settle the question for later.
If money is tight, apply. The application is short and it costs you nothing. If your income is comfortable, a check is still worth it when a spouse dies or you stop working. If you already get help, your job is to confirm it carried into this plan year.
Approval also opens a window. People who gain or lose Extra Help may change drug plans outside the usual fall dates. Our Part D guide walks through how drug plans price each tier. Apply or check your status at ssa.gov, and verify plan details at medicare.gov or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE.
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