Find the help route that fits your Medicare costs.
Answer three questions. Leave with official application and free counseling routes to check next.
- Uses
- State + cost concern + current help
- Returns
- Official application and counseling routes
- Never asks
- Name, income, phone, email, or medication details
Independent Medicare education · Not connected with or endorsed by the U.S. government.
Independent field guide · 2026
Reviewed July 2026
Build your official benefits route sheet.
Three answers organize the state, Social Security, and free counseling routes. This sheet never guesses eligibility or savings.
Which cost-help route belongs first?
Reviewed by the MedicalRecords.com editorial team · July 2026
Check Medicare Savings Programs when Medicare premiums or cost sharing are the problem. Check Social Security’s Extra Help when Part D drug costs are the problem.
The state or Social Security—not this site—decides eligibility.A route, not a prediction.
The sheet narrows where to look. It never estimates savings, approval, or eligibility.
- 1Name the cost problem
Choose medical costs, prescription costs, or both. No medications, diagnoses, income, assets, name, phone, or email.
- 2Get an agency route
See which official state or federal program to check, why it appears, and what documents may be requested.
- 3Apply with the authority
Go directly to Medicare.gov, Social Security, your state, or free SHIP counseling. Only an official application decides eligibility.
Medicare sources, official routes, and guides
Keep the source trail with the route.
Official program definitions, timing rules, and state variations can change. Recheck the named authority before acting.
Open the route for your state.
No contact information required.
Use the directory for state-specific application and free-counseling routes. Verify current rules and limits with the official source.
Browse all state cost-help routesQuestions to settle before you apply.
Is this free — and will someone call to sell me a plan?
The routing file is free and has no name, phone, or email field. Creating it cannot trigger a sales call. Medicare.gov, Social Security, the state, and free SHIP counseling are shown first. A separate licensed-advisor page is an optional, clearly labeled paid placement.
What are Medicare Savings Programs (QMB, SLMB, QI)?
They are state-run programs that can help pay Medicare costs. Medicare.gov says QMB can help with Part A and Part B premiums and Medicare cost sharing, while SLMB and QI help with the Part B premium. Limits can differ by state and change over time. You apply through the state, which makes the decision.
What is Extra Help, and how is it different?
Extra Help assists people with limited income and resources with Medicare drug coverage costs. Social Security says you can apply before or after enrolling in Part D. Medicare.gov says people with full Medicaid, help from a state paying the Part B premium, or SSI get Extra Help automatically.
Does this tell me whether I qualify or how much I will save?
No. The tool deliberately produces neither an eligibility verdict nor a dollar savings estimate. Medicare Savings Programs are decided by the state; Social Security determines Extra Help when an application is required. The result routes you to those authorities and to free SHIP help.
Are you connected with Medicare or the government?
We are not connected with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program. The optional compensated Medicare advisor placement is currently unavailable. For complete, current plan information, visit Medicare.gov, call 1-800-MEDICARE, or contact your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). A paid placement must remain disabled until its service-area representation is verified and the current CMS-required disclosure is reviewed and populated.
Do you keep my information?
The door has no account or database. The selected state, cost category, and current-help answer are used only in the browser to create the routing file. The optional MedicalRecords.com handoff includes none of those answers—not even the state.
Keep the rest of the decision grounded.
Focused tools for records, coverage, costs, and care decisions.