It’s Easy to Get Extra Help with Your Prescription Costs
Reading Time: 2 MinutesLast Updated: August 19, 2021
In times like these, every dollar counts. Some people qualify for big savings on their Medicare prescription drug costs and don’t even realize it! In fact, if you receive Medicare, you may be eligible for the Extra Help, which could save you about $4,000 per year on your monthly premiums, annual deductibles, and prescription co-payments.
To qualify for Extra Help, you must be receiving Medicare, have limited resources and income, and reside in one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia. To find out if you qualify, Social Security will need to know the value of your savings, investments, real estate (other than your home), and your income. We will also need information about you and your spouse, if you are married and living together.
To apply for Extra Help, you need to complete Social Security’s Application for Extra Help with Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Costs. Our secure online application has self-help screens that guide you through a series of questions. You can apply from the comfort of your home, or from any other computer that is convenient to you. You can start and stop the application at any time, and go back later to finish it.
If you choose, you can apply for Extra Help over the phone by calling 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) or visit your local Social Security office.
After you apply, Social Security will review your application and send you a letter letting you know if you qualify for Extra Help. Once you qualify, you can choose a Medicare prescription drug plan.
When you file your application for Extra Help, you can also start an application for a Medicare Savings Program — state programs that provide help to people with limited resources and income with Medicare expenses
Make sure you aren’t missing out on these easy savings. The sooner you apply , the sooner your savings begin.
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Tags: Medicare, online services
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Jim Borland, Assistant Deputy Commissioner, Communications
Jim Borland, Assistant Deputy Commissioner, Communications
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Elsie T.
Can a person collecting Social Security Disability
apply for MN sure? I am asking for a friend whom is also is collecting S.S.D
L.A.
Hello Elsie. Thank you for your question. To apply for MNsure or to request more information about Medicaid, you will need to call your state medical assistance office. To get the local phone number, call the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services at 1-800-633-4227 (TTY, 1-877-486-2048). We hope this helps.
Maurine
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Lola P.
I am on lantus solar star that cost me 94.00 for 5pens per month. I was just put on novolog fast acting 5 pens for 188.00 per month and I can’t afford them. I have Humana Advantage the 188.00 is all they will pay. I have the Medicare card ports A and B so how can I get help from Medicare to help with my medication or get help for my insulin free . I get social security check for 1,104.00 per month .
V.V.
Hi Lola. Some Medicare beneficiaries can qualify for Extra Help with their Medicare prescription drug plan costs. This Extra Help will help pay for the costs, such as monthly premiums, annual deductibles, and prescription copayments.
You can apply for Extra Help online. To schedule an appointment or to apply for Extra Help over the phone, contact us at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) between 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., or contact your local Social Security office.
Winona S.
I need proof of the Extra Help, I was approved for in 2018. Where can I get a copy of that information
V.V.
Thank you for contacting us, Winona. Unfortunately, and because of security reasons, we do not have access to personal records in this blog and cannot assist you.
To request proof of your Extra Help, you will have to contact your local office or call our toll-free number at 1-800-772-1213. Representatives are available Monday through Friday, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Karen B.
I am trying to appeal a decision from Social Security that says I am no longer eligible for the extra help with Medicare Prescription drug plan costs effective Jan 1, 2019. Up to now I have been receiving it. I live on a limited income, but I apparently am over the income level. I was over it last year, but still received the help. My income is not only low, but limited. To have to pay for my (many) prescriptions without help would put a tremendous burden on me financially. I have a form I have filled out, but is that all I can do? I am quite concerned because time is running out. I have been told I can’t apply for another program until Jan. 1st. because otherwise the program sees me as already in a program. Am I posting this in the right place to get help? Thanks for any help you can offer.
V.V.
Thank you for contacting us, Karen. Unfortunately, and because of security reasons, we do not have access to personal records in this blog and cannot assist you.
To inquire on the status of our Extra Help, you will have to contact your local office or call our toll-free number at 1-800-772-1213. Representatives are available Monday through Friday, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
norma g.
need assistance with new Rx my Dr. has me on. Even with getting prescription insurance i still can’t afford the new one. I have no problem with my other Rx’s
V.V.
Hi Norma. You may want to consider applying for Extra Help. Even if you don’t qualify for the Extra Help with Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Costs, you may be able to get help from your State with other Medicare costs under the Medicare Savings Programs. By completing the Extra Help application, you will start your application process for a Medicare Savings Program. We will send information to your State who will contact you to help you apply for a Medicare Savings Program unless you tell us not to when you complete the application.
If you need information about Medicare Savings Programs, Medicare Prescription Drug plans or how to enroll in a plan, call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048) or visit http://www.medicare.gov. You also can request information by contacting your State Health Insurance Counseling and Assistance Program (SHIP). The SHIP offers help with your Medicare questions.
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Cathy L.
This whole system is a total mess. For days I’ve been trying to reach a “real” person to see if I can help my 99 year old mother with some information regarding the Extra Help with Medicare drug prescription plan that she’s been eligible for the past few years. I can’t find any evidence that she received the application to qualify her for this plan for 2019. She usually receives it each year some in September, I believe. She is 99 and still in her own home and she often gets confused so I don’t know if she may have inadvertently thrown away the application, or never received it at all. I just need to know if she’s still eligible for the plan, or if we need to go through the whole process of applying again. I can’r reach an agent by phone, and It’s difficult to get my Mom out to visit the local office to speak with someone and the local office hours seem to be erratic. No wonder the system is such a mess!!!! You can’t speak to anyone to get the information you’re really looking for. Keeps you running around in circles to get the help you need. It’s extremely frustrating and worrisome for someone that desperately needs the help.
R.F.
We apologize for any inconveniences, Cathy.
Visit our “Extra Help with Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Costs” web page for information on this topic.
If your mother needs help managing her Social Security benefits, you should consider applying to become her Representative Payee.
A face-to-face interview at the local Social Security office is required to apply to become a beneficiary’s representative payee. Social Security does not recognize “Power of Attorneys”.
If approved to serve as your mother’s representative payee, it will make it easier for you in the future to update her account information. It would be helpful to obtain a statement from her doctor. The statement should say that your mother is not able to take care of herself and that you are the person responsible to keep her benefits and finances in order.
We understand how inconvenient this may be for you, but hope you understand our role in protecting everyone’s personal information.
Please read our publication: A Guide For Representative Payees.
If you have specific questions, or to make an appointment, please call our toll free number at 1-800-772-1213, Monday through Friday, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. to speak to one of our representatives. Thanks!
norman b.
norman and rita barnard 11 tanglewood lane Bolton.ct 06043 received a notice that we no longer qualify for percription drugs extra help. can you explain the reason why?
V.V.
Thank you for contacting us, Norman. Unfortunately, and because of security reasons, we do not have access to personal records in this blog and cannot assist you.
To inquire, you will need to contact your local office or call our toll-free number at 1-800-772-1213. Representatives are available Monday through Friday, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Just a reminder – Please be cautious about posting personal information on social media and communicating personal information via email.
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