Did You Know: LIS Levels

The Qualifying Individual (QI) program is one of the Medicare Savings Programs (MSPs) that helps individuals with limited income and resources pay for Medicare costs. Here’s a breakdown of what Medical Assistance pays for at each QI level:

• Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) Program Coverage:
  Pays for Medicare Part A and Part B premiums, deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments. This means that if you qualify for QMB, you should not be billed for Medicare-covered services when seeing Medicare providers.
• Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB) Program Coverage:
  Pays for Medicare Part B premiums. This helps reduce the monthly cost of Medicare Part B, which covers outpatient care, doctor services, and preventive services.
• Qualifying Individual (QI) Program Coverage:
  Pays for Medicare Part B premiums. This program is similar to SLMB but is available on a first-come, first-served basis due to limited funding. The main benefit is saving money by not having to pay the Part B monthly premium, which can be significant.
• Qualified Disabled and Working Individuals (QDWI) Program Coverage:
  Pays for Medicare Part A premiums. This program is for individuals who are disabled and working, and who have lost their premium-free Part A due to returning to work.

These programs are designed to help reduce the financial burden of Medicare costs for individuals with limited income and resources. You can double check a person’s level by calling a carrier or by using a carrier tool like Jarvis provides on the UHC portal with a beneficiary’s Medicare number. QMB is the only full dual from the list, the rest are partial dual.