Medicare Part D

Why Ashland residents should look at Extra Help for Medicare Part D

ASHLAND, Ky. — If you take prescription medicines and worry about paying for them, there's a federal program that could quietly change your year. It's called Extra Help, and it's designed to lower what people with limited income and savings pay for their Medicare Part D drug coverage.

Many people who qualify never sign up — often because they didn't know it existed, or they assumed the paperwork would be too much. Here's a plain-language walk-through of who Extra Help is for, what it does, and how Ashland-area readers can apply.

What Extra Help actually is

Extra Help, also called the Low-Income Subsidy (LIS), is a federal program run by the Social Security Administration and Medicare. It helps pay Part D drug plan premiums, deductibles, and copays for people who meet certain income and resource limits.

Under a recent change in the law, Extra Help is now a full benefit for everyone who qualifies. The older "partial" Extra Help level was eliminated, so people who once got only some assistance may now get the full subsidy. That's a meaningful update worth checking on if you were turned down or given partial help in the past.

Extra Help works alongside your Medicare Part D plan — it doesn't replace it. You still enroll in a drug plan; Extra Help just lowers what you pay out of pocket.

Why it matters even more in 2027

Part D itself is changing in ways that already help everyone with drug coverage:

• The out-of-pocket cap for covered Part D drugs is $2,100 in 2026. Once you hit that limit, you pay $0 for covered drugs for the rest of the year.
• The maximum Part D deductible is $615 in 2026 ($700 in 2027).
• The old "donut hole" coverage gap was eliminated in 2025, so Part D now has three simpler phases.
• Anyone can spread drug costs across the year using the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, an optional monthly smoothing tool.

Extra Help stacks on top of these protections. For someone on a fixed income in Ashland, that combination — a hard yearly cap plus the subsidy — can turn a scary pharmacy trip into a predictable one.

Who qualifies

To get Extra Help in 2027, you generally need to:

• Have Medicare Part A and/or Part B,
• Live in one of the 50 states or D.C., and
• Have income and resources under the federal limits set each year.

Social Security updates the exact dollar limits annually, and they're higher than many people expect. Resources include things like money in checking, savings, stocks, and bonds — but not your home, your car, or personal belongings.

You may automatically get Extra Help (no application needed) if you:

• Have both Medicare and full Medicaid,
• Get help from your state paying Part B premiums (a Medicare Savings Program), or
• Get Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

If none of those apply, you can still qualify — you just have to apply. And it's worth applying even if you're unsure. Many people are surprised to learn they're eligible.

How to apply from Ashland

Ashland is in Boyd County, and there are several ways to apply — all free:

1. Online at ssa.gov/extrahelp — the fastest route for most people. 2. By phone at 1-800-772-1213 (Social Security) to request a paper application or apply over the phone. 3. In person at your local Social Security office. 4. With free help from Kentucky SHIP counselors, who can sit down with you and walk through the form. SHIP counseling is unbiased and doesn't sell anything.

You'll be asked about household income, savings, and basic living expenses. Have recent bank statements, Social Security award letters, and any pension or work income information handy.

What happens after you're approved

Once approved, Extra Help stays with you and follows you into whichever Part D plan you choose. Boyd County residents have multiple stand-alone Part D drug plans and Medicare Advantage plans with drug coverage to pick from — Extra Help works with plans across that landscape, though the exact amounts you'd pay depend on the plan you enroll in.

If you already have a Part D plan when you're approved, the subsidy is applied to that plan. You can change plans during the Annual Enrollment Period (Oct. 15 – Dec. 7), and people with Extra Help also get additional chances during the year to switch — a flexibility most people don't have.

Common questions from readers

Q: I was denied Extra Help years ago. Should I try again? Yes. Income and resource limits change every year, and the partial-benefit tier was eliminated, so the rules today are more generous than they used to be. Reapplying costs nothing.

Q: Will applying for Extra Help affect my Social Security check or my taxes? No. Extra Help is a subsidy for drug costs. It doesn't reduce your Social Security benefit and isn't counted as taxable income.

Q: I have a Medicare Advantage plan with drug coverage. Can I still get Extra Help? Yes. Extra Help applies to Part D coverage whether it's a stand-alone drug plan or built into a Medicare Advantage plan.

Q: What if my income is a little above the limit? Apply anyway. Certain expenses and household situations can affect how income is counted, and Social Security makes the final determination — not a rough guess at the kitchen table.

Where to get trustworthy, free help

For personalized answers, always go to official, non-sales sources:

• Medicare: medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), 24/7.
• Social Security (Extra Help applications): ssa.gov/extrahelp or 1-800-772-1213.
• Kentucky SHIP: Free one-on-one Medicare counseling for Ashland and Boyd County residents. Ask for the local SHIP office when you call the state's aging and independent living line, or find contact info through medicare.gov's "Find local help" tool.

Extra Help is one of those programs that quietly does what it promises — but only for the people who apply. If you've been putting it off, this is a good week to make the call.