Medicare Savings Program Texas: QMB Income Limits, Asset Limits, and Who Qualifies
● ACTIVE ◐ LIMITS REVISED EACH JAN–FEB TEXAS
Texas did not expand Medicaid, and most Texans know it. So when an older Texan hears about a Medicaid programme that pays Medicare costs, the reasonable assumption is that it does not exist here.
It does. QMB, SLMB, and QI are mandatory federal eligibility groups. Every state has to offer all three, whatever it decided about expansion. Texas runs them through the Health and Human Services Commission and has no choice in the matter.
What Texas does choose is how generous to be. And there, Texas sits exactly at the federal floor.
The Medicare Savings Programs pay your Medicare Part B premium — $202.90 a month in 2026 — and at the QMB level cover your deductibles and copays as well.
Texas applies the federal minimum limits and does not raise them. That still leaves a benefit worth at least $2,434 a year.
2026 income limits
| Program | Single | Married | What it pays |
|---|---|---|---|
| QMB | $1,350 | $1,824 | Premiums, deductibles, coinsurance, copays |
| SLMB | $1,616 | $2,184 | Part B premium |
| QI | $1,816 | $2,455 | Part B premium |
| QDWI | $5,405 | $7,299 | Part A premium |
→ swipe the table sideways · Monthly, includes the standard $20 income disregard · Source: NCOA, MSP Eligibility and Coverage 2026
Apply even if you are slightly over. Some income is excluded before the count begins, and being over on paper is not the same as being ineligible. HHSC does the arithmetic, not you.
2026 asset limits
| Limit | |
|---|---|
| Single | $9,950 |
| Married | $14,910 |
→ swipe the table sideways · Source: NCOA, MSP Eligibility and Coverage 2026
Your home does not count. Neither does one car. What counts is money you could reach — bank accounts, certificates of deposit, stocks, bonds, and property that is not the house you live in.
What QMB actually covers
This is the level worth aiming for, and the difference between it and the others is large.
- Part B premium — $202.90 a month
- Part B annual deductible — $283
- Part B coinsurance — normally 20% of the cost of each service
- Part A hospital deductible — $1,736 per benefit period
- Hospital copays — $434 a day for days 61 to 90, $868 beyond that
- Skilled nursing copays — $217 a day for days 21 to 100
SLMB and QI cover the premium only. That is still $2,434 a year you do not pay.
How Texas compares
Texas sets both its income and its asset limits at the federal minimum. Some states go considerably further.
Source: NCOA, MSP Eligibility and Coverage 2026
On income the gap is smaller but real. The District of Columbia allows $4,010 a month at the QMB level against Texas at $1,350. Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, and Indiana all sit well above the floor.
None of that helps a Texan. What it means practically is that an article written about another state's limits will mislead you here — and that the asset test is the thing most likely to stop a Texas application, not the income test.
How to apply
Applications go to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, not to Social Security. One form covers all three programmes, and the state decides which one fits.
Next stepForm H1200, what to bring, and the estate recovery myth→Traps
Medicaid expansion is a separate argument. Texas not expanding Medicaid says nothing about these programmes. QMB, SLMB, and QI are required of every state. If someone tells you Texas does not do this, they are talking about something else.
Do not use another state's numbers. Thirteen states and DC count no assets at all. California allows $130,000. Texas allows $9,950. An article that says "most states are generous about savings" is not describing Texas, and applying that figure here will give you the wrong answer in both directions.
Ask for QMB by name. The three programmes are not equivalent. QMB covers deductibles and copays; the other two cover the premium and stop there. If you are close to the QMB line, say so on the application rather than letting the file settle at a lower level.
Only QMB is denied retroactive coverage. QMB starts the first of the month after eligibility is documented. SLMB, QI, and QDWI can reach back three months. If you are near the QMB line and may not clear it, that window is money you can still recover.
A bill sent to a QMB enrollee is not legal. Providers may not bill QMB enrollees for Medicare deductibles, coinsurance, or copays. If you have QMB and receive one, dispute it rather than paying it. Free Texas counselors handle this routinely.
Enrolment brings Extra Help without a second application. QMB, SLMB, and QI all qualify you automatically for the Part D Low-Income Subsidy. Filing separately with Social Security wastes weeks and changes nothing.
Related programs
Step by stepHow to apply for QMB in Texas→ All 50 states comparedMedicare Savings Program limits by state→ Automatic · no applicationMedicare Extra Help for drug costs→ All senior programsSenior benefits: the national guide→Tools you'll need anyway
Applying is free. Nobody legitimate charges to file for you.
- National Council on Aging — Medicare Savings Programs: Eligibility and Coverage (2026), updated March 2026. Supported by the Administration for Community Living, HHS. Texas is listed at the federal income and asset limits.
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services — Medicare Savings Programs, on the mandatory eligibility groups and QMB billing protections.
- Medicare.gov — 2026 Medicare costs.
Limits change every January or February and states adopt them on their own schedule. Confirm with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission before you rely on a figure. Benefit Almanac is not a government agency and cannot determine your eligibility.
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