| Julie Fralich, BLING/Building Livability in New Gloucester |
One of the early goals of the Gray New Gloucester Community Connector program was to introduce the Medicare Savings Program to area residents and help them apply. Since September, the GNG connectors have successfully helped 65 residents, most of whom had not heard of the program before meeting the Connectors. This effort has resulted in average annual savings of $2,220 per individual and more than $144,300 for all those who have been helped.
The response from those who have benefited from the program locally has been huge. One person reported that she had been paying over $2,000 quarterly for out-of-pocket drug costs. Once enrolled in the Medicare Savings Program, those costs were reduced to only $17 a quarter.
The Medicare Savings Program
The Medicare Savings Program, also known as the “buy-in program,” is one of the lesser-known (and frankly hard to find) programs that helps older Mainers pay their monthly Medicare premiums and other out-of-pocket expenses. The monthly premium for Medicare Part B services, which covers doctor’s visits, home health care, outpatient care, and various preventive services, is $185 a month in 2025.
If a person qualifies for the Medicare Savings Program, this monthly expense is eliminated, and other costs such as copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles may also be reduced.
The program is administered by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, but it is not a Maine Care program. In Maine, benefit levels are based on income, with no asset test or estate recovery requirements. The Medicare Savings Program offers two levels of coverage and eligibility based on monthly income:
The Qualified Individual program (known as QI) is available to single individuals with a monthly income at or below $3,261 and to couples with a monthly income at or below $4,407. This program covers the Medicare Part B premium.
The Qualified Medicare Beneficiary program (known as QMB) is available to single individuals with a monthly income at or below $2,413 and to couples with a monthly income at or below $3,261. For these participants, the Medicare Savings Program covers not only Medicare Part A and Part B premiums, but also the accompanying deductibles, copayments and coinsurance amounts.
Those who qualify for the Medicare Savings Program under QI or QMB may also qualify for the “Extra Help Program.” It reduces costs associated with Medicare Part D drug coverage, including premiums, prescription costs and co-pays. AARP estimates that this can save some individuals up to $5,000 a year in medication costs.
Local Impact
When the GNG Community Connectors started in the fall of 2024, few people in the community had ever heard of the Medicare Savings Program and even fewer had availed themselves of it. For many older adults, navigating the application process and completing forms online is a significant barrier. The GNG Connectors were able to provide one-on-one assistance to people by providing a hard copy of the application and helping them complete and submit the form.
Many who enrolled in the program returned to the GNG Connectors to thank them for their help and to share their personal stories. For those on Social Security, the Medicare Part B premium was no longer deducted from their monthly check. This meant that many had just “a little bit more money” that they could use to pay their heat and electric bills or buy food and medicine. Because the program is retroactive, many were able to recoup savings from prior months.
At the end of the day, many older people are living on the edge with very limited regular incomes that do not keep up with increased costs of food, electricity, fuel, and other needs. As one of the GNG Connectors noted, “The Medicare Savings program helps people who are getting by, to get by just a little bit better.”
If you would like help applying for the Medicare Savings Program, you can call either of the GNG Community Connectors – Cindy Slocum at (207) 572-2594 or Lori Fowler at (207) 572-6493 — or you can find them (during the summer months) at the Gray Library on the first Tuesday of the month from 1 to 3 p.m. or the New Gloucester Library on the first Thursday of the month from 9 to 11 a.m.
For more information, you can also contact:
— Consumers for Affordable Health Care at (800) 965-7476
— Consumer Assistance Program Helpline (Mainecahc.org/consumer-assistance) or
— The Southern Maine Agency on Aging at (207) 396-6500
For a full list of services at the Southern Maine Agency on Aging, go to this link or their webpage: https://www.smaaa.org/
For a summary of the Medicare Savings Program, click this link, or go to this webpage: https://mainecouncilonaging.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/MSP_Medicare-Savings-Program.pdf
