2019 State Low-Income Subsidy Benchmark Premium Amounts - with a comparison of benchmark changes since 2006

2020 Update See: 2020 State Low-Income Subsidy Benchmark Premium Amounts - with a comparison of benchmark changes since 2006 at on this site.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the 2019 low-income premium subsidy amounts (or Benchmark) for Medicare Part D plans on July 31, 2018, and in 2019, thirteen (13) regions will lower their Medicare Part D Low-Income Subsidy (LIS) benchmark values and twenty-one (21) regions will increase their benchmark premiums. Here are a few highlights of the 2019 LIS benchmarks:

Colorado will see the largest benchmark decrease with a 2019 LIS subsidy of $32.00 as compared to $34.18 in 2018. New Jersey had the largest benchmark decrease last year.
Arkansas will have the largest benchmark increase with a 2019 LIS benchmark of $24.81 as compared to $22.56 in 2018. Colorado had the largest benchmark increase in 2018.
Wisconsin will have the highest 2019 benchmark premium of all CMS PDP regions at $40.80. Last year, Idaho and Utah, had the highest benchmark premium at $40.24.
Texas will have the lowest benchmark in 2019 at $23.96. Arkansas had the lowest benchmark in 2018.

As a reminder, the benchmark premium is the maximum monthly premium that will be paid by CMS for persons qualifying for LIS or the Medicare Part D " Extra Help" program. If a person receiving the low-income subsidy (LIS) enrolls in a Medicare Part D plan that has a premium higher than the subsidy amount listed below for their state, the beneficiary is responsible for paying the difference in premiums* (however, see the explanation of the de minimis premium policy below).

You can click on the premium subsidy for your state to see the plans for the selected year qualifying for the $0 premium (2019 Medicare Part D plan information available starting October 1, 2018).

CMS Region	State(s)	2019 Subsidy	2018 Subsidy	2017 Subsidy	2016 Subsidy	2015 Subsidy	2014 Subsidy	2013 Subsidy	2012 Subsidy	2011 Subsidy	2010 Subsidy	2009 Subsidy	2008 Subsidy	2007 Subsidy	2006 Subsidy
1	NH, ME	$33.20	$34.27	$32.99	$32.82	$29.60	$27.78	$33.49	$31.18	$28.90	$26.96	$28.12	$30.64	$30.72	$36.09
2	CT, MA, RI, VT	$36.20	$35.58	$34.83	$31.14	$29.65	$27.99	$31.35	$32.04	$33.66	$34.57	$31.74	$29.17	$27.35	$30.27
3	NY	$39.33	$38.98	$40.99	$39.73	$36.94	$37.23	$43.22	$39.79	$38.69	$33.32	$27.71	$24.18	$24.45	$29.83
4	NJ	$37.16	$35.97	$40.81	$39.98	$37.64	$37.10	$37.04	$36.00	$35.74	$35.01	$30.99	$31.23	$28.12	$31.37
5	DE, DC, MD	$29.98	$30.70	$33.22	$33.45	$30.61	$32.34	$34.96	$34.57	$34.28	$33.71	$30.85	$30.78	$29.65	$33.46
6	PA, WV	$37.03	$37.18	$39.45	$35.30	$33.91	$35.50	$36.57	$34.32	$34.07	$32.09	$29.23	$26.59	$28.45	$32.59
7	VA	$30.61	$30.05	$32.52	$32.78	$29.47	$29.34	$30.06	$30.95	$33.25	$34.15	$31.72	$31.03	$30.52	$34.42
8	NC	$28.91	$30.16	$31.37	$31.07	$29.34	$28.28	$32.04	$33.00	$34.87	$34.90	$33.45	$33.43	$32.13	$36.30
9	SC	$24.55	$23.03	$26.03	$26.57	$28.78	$33.87	$38.75	$36.15	$36.90	$35.02	$32.01	$31.12	$31.41	$34.88
10	GA	$25.68	$24.53	$26.43	$25.78	$26.47	$29.32	$34.22	$31.18	$32.83	$29.62	$29.16	$30.04	$31.07	$33.15
11	FL	$30.25	$29.07	$29.13	$28.07	$25.83	$22.13	$24.76	$23.82	$25.41	$27.45	$21.47	$19.16	$22.63	$29.07
12	AL, TN	$31.40	$30.62	$31.76	$31.32	$30.20	$29.67	$33.69	$31.71	$33.72	$30.73	$29.80	$28.29	$29.60	$32.33
13	MI	$32.91	$33.28	$34.17	$33.47	$31.46	$32.46	$34.18	$34.37	$34.71	$34.92	$32.08	$30.49	$30.79	$33.22
14	OH	$32.92	$31.95	$32.30	$29.52	$28.64	$28.93	$29.87	$29.41	$29.67	$30.47	$28.40	$26.82	$28.51	$30.69
15	IN, KY	$31.75	$31.24	$32.06	$31.90	$31.79	$34.95	$37.22	$35.92	$36.44	$35.75	$33.95	$33.50	$32.42	$35.69
16	WI	$40.80	$40.04	$40.09	$37.70	$35.32	$37.03	$38.25	$36.67	$36.96	$38.20	$38.15	$31.03	$29.67	$31.27
17	IL	$27.37	$27.50	$28.68	$29.60	$28.23	$28.59	$30.94	$30.23	$30.65	$31.59	$30.18	$30.26	$29.66	$31.60
18	MO	$32.06	$29.99	$30.07	$26.13	$28.28	$31.21	$34.59	$32.05	$34.92	$40.01	$31.89	$26.71	$27.88	$31.37
19	AR	$24.81	$22.56	$22.58	$20.92	$24.76	$30.03	$34.15	$31.62	$32.12	$28.48	$26.89	$27.69	$30.51	$35.45
20	MS	$26.85	$25.81	$26.53	$28.14	$29.33	$30.56	$34.56	$33.40	$33.01	$33.02	$31.53	$31.35	$31.70	$36.39
21	LA	$33.06	$30.92	$32.80	$32.13	$31.28	$31.75	$37.33	$35.01	$34.75	$31.32	$27.48	$24.62	$28.45	$34.14
22	TX	$23.96	$24.59	$27.34	$28.05	$27.31	$27.73	$31.83	$29.99	$30.48	$27.53	$25.36	$25.01	$26.93	$31.68
23	OK	$30.84	$29.65	$30.83	$30.72	$29.97	$30.18	$32.80	$31.53	$33.62	$32.31	$29.36	$28.04	$30.35	$35.13
24	KS	$32.46	$31.43	$30.27	$30.67	$30.32	$34.21	$36.04	$36.67	$36.94	$35.77	$33.66	$30.62	$30.56	$33.44
25	IA, MN, MT, ND, NE, SD, WY	$35.78	$33.99	$34.02	$30.93	$30.00	$32.23	$34.61	$36.02	$37.47	$37.55	$33.19	$30.61	$29.50	$33.11
26	NM	$26.61	$24.60	$22.84	$20.72	$21.19	$19.92	$22.54	$21.27	$22.62	$21.42	$20.55	$19.28	$22.72	$25.95
27	CO	$32.00	$34.18	$32.04	$29.89	$28.93	$26.90	$31.92	$32.38	$32.85	$30.99	$30.17	$24.59	$27.37	$28.92
28	AZ	$32.62	$32.88	$35.11	$33.17	$32.89	$27.49	$29.41	$26.84	$27.34	$24.75	$16.22	$15.92	$21.37	$24.62
29	NV	$25.33	$27.08	$27.09	$25.38	$24.25	$22.78	$20.35	$22.97	$30.06	$27.31	$20.20**	$16.64	$20.56	$23.46
30	OR, WA	$33.80	$34.58	$34.83	$33.80	$33.81	$34.82	$37.46	$36.45	$35.30	$35.60	$31.76	$30.19	$28.71	$30.60
31	ID, UT	$38.66	$40.24	$39.66	$39.51	$39.74	$39.02	$42.15	$40.86	$40.68	$40.89	$37.46	$33.53	$31.77	$33.62
32	CA	$34.79	$35.51	$36.28	$31.05	$28.84	$28.10	$29.88	$30.86	$32.35	$28.99	$24.86	$19.80	$21.03	$23.25
33	HI	$25.73	$25.38	$26.52	$26.23	$27.91	$25.69	$33.33	$30.41	$29.76	$25.55	$25.01	$24.32	$26.35	$27.44
34	AK	$33.60	$32.92	$34.06	$36.36	$32.86	$37.07	$34.71	$36.46	$36.89	$38.00	$36.00	$36.42	$33.56	$34.66

*Note: Under the CMS de minimis premium policy, "Part D plans are required to charge full-premium subsidy eligible beneficiaries a monthly Part D beneficiary premium equal to the applicable low-income premium subsidy amount, if the plan’s beneficiary premium for basic prescription drug coverage exceeds the low-income premium subsidy amount by $2 or less." See:

https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Prescription-Drug-Coverage/PrescriptionDrugCovContra/Downloads/MemoDeMinimisClarification_102706.pdf

**Note: The 2009 low-income benchmark premium amount calculated for region 29 is $19.68. The low-income premium subsidy amount of $20.20 is the lowest monthly beneficiary premium for a PDP that offers basic coverage in region 29. Section 1860D-14(b)(3) of the Social Security Act states that the low-income premium subsidy amount is the greater of the lowest monthly beneficiary premium for a PDP that offers basic coverage and the low-income benchmark premium amount.