The Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) program is a Medicaid program that helps low-income Medicare beneficiaries pay for their Medicare costs. The program covers the following:
- Medicare Part A premiums
- Medicare Part B premiums
- Medicare deductibles
- Medicare coinsurance
- Medicare copayments
Medicare providers and suppliers, including pharmacies, are forbidden by federal law from billing people in the QMB program for Medicare cost sharing. This means that Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in the QMB program have no legal obligation to pay Medicare Part A or Part B deductibles, coinsurance, or copays for any Medicare-covered items and services. Despite this, some people in the QMB program have been wrongly billed in the past. It is important to always show your QMB card whenever you show your Medicare card to your health care provider to avoid being billed for Medicare co-pays or deductibles.
