People With Medicare

What information do I need to apply for extra help with costs?

To fill out the application, you will need to know

  • Your income:
    • Wages, self-employment net earnings, Railroad Retirement, VA, pension, annuities, alimony, net rental income.
    • Help from other people to pay for your house expenses, such as food, mortgage or rent, fuel/gas, electricity, and property taxes.
  • How much money is in your savings accounts, 401K plans, retirement plans.
  • How much money you have in investments, stock certificates, bonds and real estate (other than your home).
  • The cash value of your life insurance policy – the amount you would get if your policy were cashed in right now. (If you have any outstanding loans against the policy, the cash value would be lower.) Your insurance company can tell you these numbers.

These do not count

  • Your house.
  • Personal possessions.
  • Any vehicle, including ATVs and motorcycles.
  • Burial plots or burial fund of $1,500 per person.
  • Burial insurance when the death benefit can be used only to pay funeral expenses.
  • Term life insurance that does not have a cash surrender value.
  • Property you need to support yourself, including non-business property and land you grow produce on to eat at home.

When should I apply?

Right now! The Social Security Administration and Medicare are accepting applications. Apply online using BenefitsCheckUp. After you apply, they will send you a letter to let you know if you qualify for extra help.

Continue
Preparing

The material on the Medicare.gov site may make more sense if you read this information first:

These sections explain terms such as the plan’s formulary, limits on drug use, payment tiers, and other information you will find on Medicare.gov.
 

When you
are ready

Find and compare the cost of specific plans on Medicare.gov. Join a plan when you are ready.

Find out if you qualify for Extra Help with Costs

 

Print these instructions for using the Medicare.gov Prescription Drug Plan Finder

You can also request a form from the Social Security Administration. Look online to find an office near you or call 1-800-772-1213 (TYY 1-800-325-0778). It's important to use an original copy of the application and not a photocopy, because machines that read the ink and pencil marks on the page process these forms.

The application is available in English and Spanish. The instructions for filling out the application come in 15 different languages.