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2016 Low-Income Subsidy Benchmark Premium Amounts (includes 2016 - 2006 for comparison)

Medicaid, LIS, & Extra Help · published Jul 29, 2015

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the 2016 low-income premium subsidy amounts (or Benchmark) for Medicare Part D plans on July 29, 2015.  In 2016, eleven (11) states will lower their Medicare Part D Low-Income Subsidy benchmark values and forty (40) states will increase their benchmark premiums.  As examples:
  • Arkansas will see the largest benchmark decrease with the 2016 LIS subsidy being $20.92 as compared to $24.76 in 2015.  Arkansas also had the largest benchmark decrease last year.
  • Alaska will have the largest benchmark increase with a 2016 LIS subsidy amount of $36.36 as compared to $32.86 in 2015.
  • New Jersey will have the highest 2016 benchmark premium of all CMS PDP regions at $39.98.  Last year, CMS PDP Region 31 (Idaho and Utah), had the highest benchmark premium of $39.74.
  • New Mexico will continue to have the lowest benchmark in 2016 at $20.72.
The benchmark is the maximum monthly premium that will be paid by CMS for persons qualifying for "Extra Help." 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 premium. You can click on the premium subsidy for your state to see the plans for the selected year qualifying for the $0 premium (2016 plan information available starting October 1, 2015).

Region State(s) 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 $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 $31.14 $29.65 $27.99 $31.35 $32.04 $33.66 $34.57 $31.74 $29.17 $27.35 $30.27
3 NY $39.73 $36.94 $37.23 $43.22 $39.79 $38.69 $33.32 $27.71 $24.18 $24.45 $29.83
4 NJ $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 $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 $35.30 $33.91 $35.50 $36.57 $34.32 $34.07 $32.09 $29.23 $26.59 $28.45 $32.59
7 VA $32.78 $29.47 $29.34 $30.06 $30.95 $33.25 $34.15 $31.72 $31.03 $30.52 $34.42
8 NC $31.07 $29.34 $28.28 $32.04 $33.00 $34.87 $34.90 $33.45 $33.43 $32.13 $36.30
9 SC $26.57 $28.78 $33.87 $38.75 $36.15 $36.90 $35.02 $32.01 $31.12 $31.41 $34.88
10 GA $25.78 $26.47 $29.32 $34.22 $31.18 $32.83 $29.62 $29.16 $30.04 $31.07 $33.15
11 FL $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 $31.32 $30.20 $29.67 $33.69 $31.71 $33.72 $30.73 $29.80 $28.29 $29.60 $32.33
13 MI $33.47 $31.46 $32.46 $34.18 $34.37 $34.71 $34.92 $32.08 $30.49 $30.79 $33.22
14 OH $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 $31.90 $31.79 $34.95 $37.22 $35.92 $36.44 $35.75 $33.95 $33.50 $32.42 $35.69
16 WI $37.70 $35.32 $37.03 $38.25 $36.67 $36.96 $38.20 $38.15 $31.03 $29.67 $31.27
17 IL $29.60 $28.23 $28.59 $30.94 $30.23 $30.65 $31.59 $30.18 $30.26 $29.66 $31.60
18 MO $26.13 $28.28 $31.21 $34.59 $32.05 $34.92 $40.01 $31.89 $26.71 $27.88 $31.37
19 AR $20.92 $24.76 $30.03 $34.15 $31.62 $32.12 $28.48 $26.89 $27.69 $30.51 $35.45
20 MS $28.14 $29.33 $30.56 $34.56 $33.40 $33.01 $33.02 $31.53 $31.35 $31.70 $36.39
21 LA $32.13 $31.28 $31.75 $37.33 $35.01 $34.75 $31.32 $27.48 $24.62 $28.45 $34.14
22 TX $28.05 $27.31 $27.73 $31.83 $29.99 $30.48 $27.53 $25.36 $25.01 $26.93 $31.68
23 OK $30.72 $29.97 $30.18 $32.80 $31.53 $33.62 $32.31 $29.36 $28.04 $30.35 $35.13
24 KS $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 $30.93 $30.00 $32.23 $34.61 $36.02 $37.47 $37.55 $33.19 $30.61 $29.50 $33.11
26 NM $20.72 $21.19 $19.92 $22.54 $21.27 $22.62 $21.42 $20.55 $19.28 $22.72 $25.95
27 CO $29.89 $28.93 $26.90 $31.92 $32.38 $32.85 $30.99 $30.17 $24.59 $27.37 $28.92
28 AZ $33.17 $32.89 $27.49 $29.41 $26.84 $27.34 $24.75 $16.22 $15.92 $21.37 $24.62
29 NV $25.38 $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 $33.81 $34.82 $37.46 $36.45 $35.30 $35.60 $31.76 $30.19 $28.71 $30.60
31 ID, UT $39.51 $39.74 $39.02 $42.15 $40.86 $40.68 $40.89 $37.46 $33.53 $31.77 $33.62
32 CA $31.05 $28.84 $28.10 $29.88 $30.86 $32.35 $28.99 $24.86 $19.80 $21.03 $23.25
33 HI $26.23 $27.91 $25.69 $33.33 $30.41 $29.76 $25.55 $25.01 $24.32 $26.35 $27.44
34 AK $36.36 $32.86 $37.07 $34.71 $36.46 $36.89 $38.00 $36.00 $36.42 $33.56 $34.66

*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.