Part D Extra Help (Low Income Subsidy)

The most readily available assistance program for Medicare is the Part D Extra Help program. This pays for 75% or more of the costs that come with Medicare's Prescription Drug Program (Part D). It is sometimes called the Low Income Subsidy program or LIS.

Extra Help has higher income and asset limits than programs such as Medicare Savings Programs and Medicaid. LIS offers assistance to beneficiaries by helping them pay a reduced, set amount for Medicare-covered prescriptions at the pharmacy. A beneficiary can be enrolled in a stand-alone Prescription Drug Plan or a Medicare Advantage plan with drug coverage.

(These numbers are accurate as of April 2011.)

Enrollment in Extra Help is done through the Social Security Administration. An application can be submitted online or a paper application can be requested by contacting CLAIM or visiting your local SSA office. Click here for help finding your local Social Security office.

You automatically get Extra Help if you:

• have both Medicare and Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or
• have both Medicare and Medicaid.

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