Where to Find “Extra Help” to Pay Medicare Bills

Have you heard of Extra Help? If your parents are struggling to pay their bills, you’ll want to put this on their radar.

This Social Security program is for Medicare beneficiaries who have limited resources. It helps pay for premiums, deductibles and medication, explains Oscar Garcia, a public-affairs specialist with the Social Security Administration, at the website of the San Antonio Express-News.

He responds to a question about a mother on Medicare:

To qualify for the extra help, she must be receiving Medicare and have income limited to $16,755 for an individual or $22,695 for a married couple living together.

Even if her annual income is higher, she still may be able to get some help …. Some examples where income may be higher include if she, and her husband if married, support other family members who live with them. Plus, if they have earnings from work.

The help is worth about $4,000 a year, Garcia says. You can apply for Extra Help here.