Key Takeaways

  • The Part D Low-Income Subsidy (LIS/Extra Help) can save Medicare beneficiaries thousands of dollars on prescriptions each year.

  • There are two levels of LIS/Extra Help, full and partial, whose eligibility criteria are contained in this chart.

  • The Social Security Administration (SSA) estimates that Extra Help has an average annual value of $5,000.

The Medicare Part D Low Income Subsidy, sometimes referred to as LIS or Extra Help, assists people with limited incomes and resources with paying for their prescriptions. Extra Help pays for a Medicare beneficiary's plan premium (up to a certain amount) and at the pharmacy, people pay no more than $9 for their medications.

Extra Help is administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA) in collaboration with Medicare. SSA estimates that Extra Help has an average annual value of $5,000.

There are two levels of Extra Help: Full and Partial. Income eligibility is the same throughout the country, with slightly higher levels for Alaska and Hawaii.

Discover what the income and asset eligibility thresholds are for the Part D Low Income Subsidy/Extra Help in 2021 in this handy chart. The chart also includes what Medicare beneficiaries with LIS/Extra Help will pay for their prescriptions at the pharmacy.

Contact us if you would like to obtain a Word version of this chart for use/adaptation in training.

PDF File: https://assets-us-01.kc-usercontent.com/ffacfe7d-10b6-0083-2632-604077fd4eca/43e818e3-0c2a-4a28-ba17-788908c89b1b/part-d-lis-eligibility-and-benefits-chart.pdf