Help paying for Medicare
Medicare Savings Programs In Wichita, Kansas
Kansas runs programs that pay Medicare premiums, and in one case your deductibles and copays too, for people with limited income and savings. Here is what each one does and how to apply from Wichita.
The Part B premium alone is $202.90 a month in 2026, and on a fixed income that bill stings. Medicare Savings Programs exist to take some or all of it off your plate. They are state programs, run in Kansas through KanCare, and they sit underneath whatever Medicare plan you choose. Plenty of people who qualify never apply because they assume they earn too much. If you want Medicare help in Wichita sorting out whether these programs fit, that conversation is free.
The Programs In Plain Terms
Kansas offers three Medicare Savings Programs, plus a fourth federal one for a narrow group. The state's brochure uses its own names for two of them, so both names are shown here.
Source: medicare.gov, Medicare Savings Programs; kancare.ks.gov, Medicare Savings Program brochure
Who Generally Qualifies
Each program sets a monthly income limit and a resource limit, and the numbers change every year. Resources mean money in checking and savings, CDs, stocks and bonds. The home you live in, your car and your household goods do not count.
This page does not print the dollar limits on purpose. Medicare.gov posts federal figures, but it also notes that states can count income differently, and some people qualify in their state above the federal line. The only number that matters is the one KanCare applies to your household. A common mistake is to rule yourself out of one program without checking the next one up, which has a higher ceiling.
Source: medicare.gov, Medicare Savings Programs
Not sure whether to apply first or compare plans first? We will lay out the order with you.
Call us (316) 374-2353 Request a callExtra Help With Drug Costs
Extra Help is a separate federal program for Part D. It lowers drug plan premiums, deductibles and copays for people with limited income, and you also skip the Part D late penalty while you have it.
Here is the useful link between the two. If a Medicare Savings Program pays your Part B premium, you get Extra Help automatically. If you apply for Extra Help through Social Security first, Social Security passes your information to the state to start a Medicare Savings Program application unless you opt out. Either door can lead to both.
Source: medicare.gov, Extra Help
The Part D page covers how drug plans price your prescriptions once Extra Help is in place.
How To Apply From Wichita
You apply through KanCare, the state Medicaid program, not through Medicare and not through an agent. Three ways in:
- Online at ApplyforKanCare.ks.gov.
- On paper. Call KanCare at 1-800-792-4884 to have the four-page application mailed, then mail it back to KanCare, PO Box 3599, Topeka, KS 66601-9738, or fax it to 1-844-264-6285.
- With help. SHICK counselors fill out these forms with people every week, free. The Wichita office, run by K-State Research and Extension, takes bookings at 316-660-0126.
Interpreters are available on the KanCare line, and TTY users can call 1-800-792-4292.
Source: kansaslegalservices.org, seniors page; kancare.ks.gov, Medicare Savings Program brochure; sedgwick.k-state.edu, SHICK
Where We Fit In
We are a licensed, independent Kansas agency. We do not decide eligibility, take applications for the state, or speed one up. What we can do is help afterward. Once you know whether a program covers you, the right Medicare plan can look different. Extra Help changes what a drug plan costs you, and someone with both Medicare and full KanCare may be able to join a Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan, a kind of Medicare Advantage plan built for that pairing. Whether one is sold here in a given year, and whether it fits, depends on your doctors and drugs.
Our help costs nothing because carriers pay the agent, and there is no pressure to decide on the first call. Calls happen by phone or video.
Rather have a licensed agent ring you? Ask for a callback and we return it the same or next business day.
Questions about Medicare Savings Programs
Can you sign me up for a Medicare Savings Program?
No. KanCare decides who qualifies and processes every application. We can explain the programs, point you to the form, and look at your plan choices once you have an answer from the state.
I think my income is a little too high. Should I still apply?
Yes, if you are close. The three Kansas programs have different ceilings, and the state counts income and savings by its own rules. A short paper form is a small price for a real answer.
Will the state take my house later if I use one of these programs?
Kansas Legal Services says the Medicare Savings Programs carry no estate recovery requirement. Full KanCare Medicaid is a separate matter, so ask KanCare if you are applying for both.
Do I need to apply for Extra Help separately?
Not if a Medicare Savings Program approves you. Medicare.gov says people who get help with the Part B premium from their state receive Extra Help automatically, and a notice arrives in the mail.
Does a Medicare Savings Program change which plan I should pick?
It can. Extra Help lowers drug plan costs, and someone with both Medicare and full KanCare may look at Special Needs Plans. That comparison is where an agent is useful, after the state has ruled.
Waiting on KanCare or already approved?
We will show how the answer changes your plan choices, at no cost to you.
Call (316) 374-2353 Or request a callback