Extra Help, also called the Low-Income Subsidy (LIS), is a Medicare program that helps people with limited income and resources pay for Part D drug coverage. In 2026, you may qualify if your yearly income is below $23,940 ($32,460 for a married couple) and your resources are below $18,090 ($36,100 for a couple). People who qualify pay a $0 premium and deductible on a qualifying plan and no more than $12.65 per covered drug in 2026.
What is Extra Help?
Medicare.gov describes Extra Help as a Medicare program that helps people with limited income and resources pay Medicare drug coverage (Part D) premiums, deductibles, coinsurance, and other costs. You also won't pay a Part D late enrollment penalty while you get Extra Help.
Extra Help isn't available in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, or American Samoa. Those areas have other programs; Medicare.gov suggests calling the local Medicaid office.
Who qualifies for Extra Help in 2026?
Medicare's 2026 Extra Help fact sheet says you might qualify if:
- You live in one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia.
- Your annual income is below $23,940 for an individual or $32,460 for a married couple. Limits are higher in Alaska and Hawaii.
- Your resources are below $18,090 for an individual or $36,100 for a married couple.
Resources include money in checking, savings, or retirement accounts, stocks, and bonds. They don't include your home, personal items, one car, burial plots, up to $1,500 set aside for burial expenses, or furniture and other household items.
A Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) memo explains that the resource limits above include the $1,500-per-person burial allowance. Without it, the 2026 limits are $16,590 ($33,100 for a couple).
Who gets Extra Help automatically?
Medicare.gov says you get Extra Help automatically if you get:
- Full-benefit Medicaid coverage.
- Help from your state paying your Part B premiums through a Medicare Savings Program.
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments.
You'll get a notice in the mail telling you what you'll pay and which drug plan you're in.
What will I pay with Extra Help in 2026?
For 2026, Medicare.gov and CMS list these costs for most people with Extra Help:
- Plan premium: $0 (on a plan that offers a $0 premium to people with Extra Help).
- Plan deductible: $0.
- Generic drugs: up to $5.10 each.
- Brand-name drugs: up to $12.65 each.
Some people pay less. CMS's 2026 table shows lower copays (up to $1.60 for generics and $4.90 for brand-name drugs) for people with full Medicaid and income at or below 100% of the federal poverty level, and $0 for people with full Medicaid who live in an institution or get home and community-based services.
All Part D enrollees also benefit from the yearly out-of-pocket cap. CMS set the 2026 threshold at $2,100. After your covered drug costs reach that point, you pay $0 for covered drugs the rest of the year.
Looking ahead to 2027: Medicare.gov has already posted 2027 Extra Help amounts: up to $5.80 per generic and $14.40 per brand-name drug, with $0 cost sharing once total drug costs reach $2,400.