BRISTOL, Vt. (WCAX) – Are you a Medicare recipient struggling to afford your premium? A new program may save you hundreds of dollars a month. <\/p>\n
The Medicare Savings Program, or MSP, is a state and federally funded subsidy that has new eligibility as of January 1st of 2026. If you apply and qualify, the money taken out of your social security check to pay for your Medicare premium will now stay in your pocket. For Bryan Plant of Bristol, it made all the difference.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat $200 is the difference, can be the difference between, \u2018can I fix the car, or do I have to take the bus, or do I eat? Do I not eat? Or does the rent get paid, or am I going to be back out on the streets?,\u2019\u201d said Bryan Plant of Bristol.<\/p>\n
Plant is a disabled Vermonter living on a fixed income. He\u2019s got a slew of medical problems, including trouble breathing, back pain, hypertension, and depression. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t take long before the prescriptions, you know, pile up and the co-pays,\u201d said Plant.<\/p>\n
When he didn\u2019t have the money to spend, he had to make tough choices about food and getting help. <\/p>\n
\u201cFor about a year and a half, I wouldn\u2019t go to the doctor unless I absolutely had to,\u201d said Plant. He says thanks to the Medicare Savings Program, he can get the medical help he needs this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn Medicare, out-of-pocket expenses can be quite high and present a real barrier for people to get the care they need,\u201d said Mike Fisher, the state\u2019s designated health care advocate.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s a big fan of this newly effective legislation. He says 14,000 Vermonters will be eligible to get a $200-a-month discount on their Plan B Medicare premiums, and many others will see lower prescription costs. <\/p>\n
\u201cEverywhere I turn, there\u2019s people losing subsidies or unable to afford the care they need. This is the one good story that\u2019s out there,\u201d said Fisher.<\/p>\n