Extra Help attacks the three parts of a Part D bill at once: the monthly premium, the yearly deductible, and the price you pay at the pharmacy. Without it, a person on several brand-name drugs could pay a $700 deductible and then 25% of the drug cost until reaching $2,400. With it, those costs shrink to small copays.

Extra Help does not change which drugs a plan covers. You still need to check that your medicines are on the plan’s drug list, which our Medicare Part D formulary 2027 page explains.

Medicare publishes new limits each year. The figures below are the 2026 limits on Medicare.gov, which are the ones Social Security uses for applications right now. Medicare says the limits may go up each year, so the numbers for 2027 applications may be a little higher.

Source: Medicare.gov, 2026 limits. Alaska and Hawaii have higher limits. The resource limits include an allowance for burial expenses.

Extra Help copays are fixed dollar amounts, one for generic drugs and one for brand-name drugs. CMS sets new amounts each year in a memo that usually comes out in the fall. The 2027 amounts were not yet posted when we checked, so the math below uses the 2026 CMS amounts. The 2027 copays may be a few cents higher.

Copays from the CMS CY 2026 LIS memo. Monthly cost is our math: 3 x generic + 2 x brand. Copays apply per prescription fill.

Compare that with a standard 2027 benefit. A person with the same five prescriptions who uses brand-name drugs could pay the full $700 deductible early in the year and then keep paying 25% of each drug’s cost until reaching the $2,400 cap. On the full Extra Help row, the same person’s yearly copays come to $487.20, which is about one-fifth of the cap.

For premiums, Extra Help pays up to a set amount in each of the 34 Part D regions. That amount is called the low-income benchmark. If a plan’s basic premium is at or below the benchmark, a full Extra Help member usually pays $0. If you choose a plan that costs more, you pay the difference.

Which plans are benchmark plans changes every year and depends on the region. A plan that cost you $0 in 2026 may not be $0 in 2027. Medicare usually sends a letter in the fall if your plan’s premium will no longer be fully covered. The premium side of 2027 is covered in more depth on our Medicare Part D premium 2027 page.

Many people never fill out an application. Medicare automatically gives Extra Help to people who already get certain other help, and it mails them a colored letter to confirm it.

If you qualify automatically but do not pick a drug plan, Medicare may enroll you in a benchmark plan in your area so you are not left without coverage. You can switch away from that plan if it does not cover your drugs well. Medicaid questions are covered on our if I have Medicaid, do I need Medicare Part D page.

Anyone who does not qualify automatically can apply with Social Security. There is no fee, and you can apply at any time of year.

Extra Help members have more freedom to change drug plans than most people. Since 2025, people with Extra Help or Medicaid can switch to a different standalone drug plan, or move from Medicare Advantage to Original Medicare with a standalone drug plan, once per calendar month. The change starts on the first of the next month. This monthly option cannot be used to join a Medicare Advantage plan. The full set of change windows is on our when can you change Medicare Part D plans 2027 page.

Our count of CMS 2027 plan filings for individual standalone PDPs. Medicare Plan Finder counts can differ slightly. Benchmark status varies by plan and region.

Extra Help also stops the late enrollment penalty. Medicare does not bill the penalty while you have Extra Help, and months on Extra Help are not counted. See our Medicare Part D late enrollment penalty 2027 page for the math.

We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048) to get information on all of your options.