Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB) program

What is the Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB) program?

The Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB) program is a Medicare Savings Program (MSP) that pays for an enrollee’s Medicare Part B premiums. MSPs are federal programs that are administered by Medicaid in each state.¹

Who is eligible for the Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB) program?

The SLMB program is available to Medicare beneficiaries with low incomes and low asset/resource levels. The specific details are adjusted annually.

In 2025, the SLMB program is available to a single Medicare beneficiary with an income up to $1,585 and to a married couple with an income up to $2,135 (higher in Alaska and Hawaii, and higher in some other states).

In addition, a single individual’s assets/resource total in most states must not exceed $9,660 in 2025, and the asset/resource limit for a married couple is $14,470.¹

Unlike the Qualified Individual (QI) program, which is another MSP that has higher income limits (but the same asset limits) and that also pays Part B premiums, people enrolled in SLMB do not have to reapply each year.²

How much benefit does the Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB) program provide?

As of 2025, the Medicare Part B premium for most enrollees is $185/month.³ SLMB enrollees no longer have this amount deducted from their Social Security benefit, which boosts their Social Security checks by a total of $2,220 in 2025.

Individuals who are approved for SLMB can receive three months of retroactive benefits.⁴

It can take two to three months between being approved for MSP benefits and the time Part B premiums are no longer deducted from Social Security income. Applicants should receive a one-time deposit for premiums that were withheld after they were enrolled in the program, and a payment for their retroactive benefits.

Does the Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB) program provide any benefits other than the Part B premium payment?

Unlike the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) program, SLMB does not pay for Parts A and B cost sharing (e.g. deductibles, co-pays and coinsurance) or for Part A premiums (if an enrollee owes them).

But SLMB enrollees automatically receive Extra Help – a federal program that lowers premiums and out-of-pocket costs for Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage.¹