Short answer: QMB pays the Part A premium (if one is owed), the Part B premium, and Medicare deductibles, coinsurance and copays. SLMB and QI pay only the Part B premium. All three automatically qualify the person for Extra Help.
The Medicare Savings Programs are run by the state with Medicaid money:
- QMB (Qualified Medicare Beneficiary): Part A premium for someone without premium-free Part A, Part B premium, and Medicare Part A and B deductibles, coinsurance and copays for covered services. For 2026 that means the $202.90 per month Part B premium, the $283 Part B deductible and the $1,736 Part A hospital deductible are covered, and providers can’t bill the person for Medicare cost-sharing.
- SLMB (Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary): Part B premium only.
- QI (Qualifying Individual): Part B premium only, for incomes a bit higher than SLMB; applied for every year.
In Texas, the HHSC handbook notes that a person on QMB alone does not get regular Medicaid benefits but receives a special ID card to show providers, and that SLMB and QI people get no Medicaid card. A fourth program, QDWI, pays only the Part A premium for certain working people with disabilities.
Sources
Medicare.gov, Medicare Savings Programsmedicare.gov/basics/costs/help/medicare-savings-programsTexas HHSC MEPD Handbook, Appendix IX (archived)web.archive.org/web/20260117010459/https://www.hhs.texas.gov/handbooks/medicaid-elderly-people-disabilities-handbook/appendix-ix-medicare-savings-program-informationCMS, 2026 Medicare Parts A and B Premiums and Deductiblescms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/2026-medicare-parts-b-premiums-deductibleseCFR, 42 CFR 423.773ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2026-10-20/title-42.xml?section=423.773