Get Extra Help Paying Your Medicare Drug Costs
Extra Help is a Medicare program to help people with limited income and resources pay for their Medicare prescription drug coverage, such as plan premiums, deductibles, copays or coinsurance. Additionally, those who qualify will not have a coverage gap or late enrollment penalty.
Qualifying for Extra Help
To qualify for Extra Help, you must have Medicare and have limited income and resources. You must also reside in one of the fifty states or the District of Columbia. You may automatically qualify for Extra Help If you have Medicare and meet any of these conditions:
- You have full Medicaid coverage
- You get help from your state Medicaid program paying your Part B premiums (in a Medicare Savings Program)
- You get Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits from Social Security
If you qualify for Extra Help, you'll receive a purple letter in the mail from Medicare about your Extra Help. It’s important to keep this letter for your records. If you receive this letter, you don't need to apply for Extra Help.
Applying for Extra Help
If you don’t automatically qualify for Extra Help, you can apply at any time. You’ll need to complete Social Security’s application for the Medicare Extra Help program in one of the following ways.
- By Phone: call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY users call 1-800-325-0778)
- Online: Complete an application using Social Security's Online Application Form
Note that if you qualify for Extra Help and don’t already have Medicare drug coverage (Part D), you must join either a Medicare Advantage plan with Prescription Drug Coverage or a separate Medicare Prescription Drug Plan to use Extra Help.
Level of Extra Help
If you receive Extra Help from Medicare, your monthly plan premium will be lower than what it would be if you did not receive Extra Help. The amount of extra help you receive will determine your total monthly plan premium. The Premium Subsidy Chart shows you what your monthly plan premium will be if you receive extra help.
