New Jersey has three Medicare Savings Programs (MSPs) to help low-income Social Security recipients who are enrolled in Medicare afford their Medicare premiums. If you qualify, an MSP will pay the Medicare premium on your behalf, and the amount of the premium will be added back into your monthly Social Security benefit.

The first two MSPs are known as SLMB and SLMB QI-1. The income limits for those programs are higher than the income limit for Aged, Blind and Disabled (ABD) Medicaid. The asset limits for the MSPs are higher as well. The only benefit for these two programs is payment of the Part B premium. Unlike ABD Medicaid, recipients of SLMB and SLMBQI-1 still pay Medicare deductibles and co-insurance.

The third program is Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB). The income limits for QMB are lower than the SLMB programs, because they areand arethe same as ABD Medicaid. The difference is that the asset limits are higher. QMB pays the Part A and Part B premiums on behalf of enrollees, but QMB enrollees do not have to pay the Medicare deductible or co-insurance amounts. Providers may not bill QMB enrollees for those cost-sharing amounts.

The income limits for these programs change every year, and the asset limits are sometimes increased as well. Current information about the income and asset limits can be found at the New Jersey Department of Human Services' NJ Medicare Savings Programs page.

How do I apply?

If you want to apply for a MSP, fill out the NJ-SAVE application. The NJ State Health Insurance Assistance Hotline (NJ SHIP) can answer any questions you might have about the MSP benefit or your Medicare benefits in general. Call 1-800-792-8820 to speak to a trained counsellor.

You can also contact the LSNJ Health Care Access Project through the LSNJLAW^SM Hotline at www.lsnjlawhotline.org (1-888-LSNJ-LAW, 1-888-576-5529), or your local Legal Services program if you have been terminated or denied from one of these programs.

This information last reviewed: Dec 23, 2024