2017 Low-Income Subsidy Benchmark Premium Amounts (includes 2017 - 2006 for comparison)

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the 2017 low-income premium subsidy amounts (or Benchmark) for Medicare Part D plans on July 29, 2016. In 2017, ten (10) states will lower their Medicare Part D Low-Income Subsidy benchmark values and forty-one (41) states will increase their benchmark premiums. As examples:

Alaska will see the largest benchmark decrease with the 2017 LIS subsidy being $34.06 as compared to $36.36 in 2016. Arkansas had the largest benchmark decrease last year.
California will have the largest benchmark increase with a 2017 LIS subsidy amount of $36.28 as compared to $31.05 in 2016. Alaska had the largest benchmark increase last year.
New York will have the highest 2017 benchmark premium of all CMS PDP regions at $40.99. Followed closely by New Jersey at $40.81. Last year, New Jersey, had the highest benchmark premium at $39.74.
Arkansas will have the lowest benchmark in 2017 at $22.58.

As a reminder, 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 (2017 plan information available starting October 1, 2016).

CMS Region	State(s)	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	$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	$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	$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	$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	$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	$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	$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	$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	$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	$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	$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	$31.76	$31.32	$30.20	$29.67	$33.69	$31.71	$33.72	$30.73	$29.80	$28.29	$29.60	$32.33
13	MI	$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	$32.30	$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	$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	$40.09	$37.70	$35.32	$37.03	$38.25	$36.67	$36.96	$38.20	$38.15	$31.03	$29.67	$31.27
17	IL	$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	$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	$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	$26.53	$28.14	$29.33	$30.56	$34.56	$33.40	$33.01	$33.02	$31.53	$31.35	$31.70	$36.39
21	LA	$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	$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	$30.83	$30.72	$29.97	$30.18	$32.80	$31.53	$33.62	$32.31	$29.36	$28.04	$30.35	$35.13
24	KS	$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	$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	$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	$32.04	$29.89	$28.93	$26.90	$31.92	$32.38	$32.85	$30.99	$30.17	$24.59	$27.37	$28.92
28	AZ	$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	$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	$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	$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	$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	$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	$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.