Extra Help with Medicare Prescription Drug Costs
A federal subsidy that sharply reduces Part D premiums, deductibles, and copays for people with limited income.
Best for
People on Medicare who are struggling with prescription costs.
Why Kave includes this
Extra Help is worth thousands of dollars a year and is administered by the Social Security Administration, yet millions of eligible people have never applied. Kave surfaces it early in the Medicare pathway because it is a government entitlement with published income limits — no discretion, no negotiation.
- Expected cost
- Free to apply. Reduces Part D premiums, deductibles, and per-prescription copays.
- Insurance requirement
- You must have or be enrolling in Medicare.
- Who qualifies
- Based on income and resources. Limits are set annually by the Social Security Administration; check the current figures on the official page before assuming you do not qualify.
- Where it is available
- Nationwide (United States)
- How you use it
- Online or by phone and In person
- Languages
- English and Spanish
Limitations Kave wants you to know about
- Applies to Medicare Part D drug costs only, not to medical bills.
- Counts assets as well as income, so savings can affect eligibility.
- Approval is not instant; apply before you are out of medication.
Social Security Administration national line.
Verification
Compiled by Kave on July 1, 2026 and link-checked. Not yet independently verified. Kave assembled this from the organisation’s own published material and confirmed the links resolve. No reviewer has confirmed the eligibility details against the source, so check them on the official site before you rely on them.
- Compiled
- July 1, 2026 (28 days ago)
- Next scheduled review
- September 29, 2026
- Reviewed by
- Not yet reviewed
Sources used
- Social Security Administration — Extra Help — read July 1, 2026
Kave quality score
89/100
Kave lists resources scoring 80 or above that also clear all four mandatory gates.
- Patient impact23.5/25
- Affordability or financial value19.2/20
- Transparency13.5/15
- Accessibility11.7/15
- Ease of use7/10
- Geographic reach5/5
- Institutional credibility5/5
- Privacy and data practices4.5/5
Geographic reach is deliberately worth only five points, so a strong local resource is not pushed out by a weak national one. Read the methodology.