Medicare is not free; there are premiums and deductibles. If you don’t qualify for Medicaid and can’t afford a Medigap policy, you may be able to get help paying for the costs of Medicare. There are four Medicare assistance programs, called Medicare Savings Plans: Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB): The QMB program pays for Medicare Part A deductibles, Medicare Part B premiums and deductibles, and coinsurance and deductibles for Part A and Part B. Specified Low-income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB): The SLMB program pays for Medicare Part B Premium. Qualifying Individual (QI-1) Program: The QI-1 program is an expansion of the SLMB Continue Reading