AHCCCS — the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System — is Arizona's Medicaid programme. Alongside full AHCCCS coverage it runs the Medicare Savings Programs, which can pay your Medicare premiums and cost-sharing even if you do not qualify for Medicaid in the fuller sense.
The thing that makes Arizona unusual
Arizona applies no asset or resource test to the Medicare Savings Programs. On the AHCCCS eligibility chart the resource limit for QMB, SLMB and QI-1 is listed as not applicable — only your income is measured.
That is genuinely different. Most states count savings, and many people elsewhere are disqualified by a modest nest egg. In Arizona, having money in the bank does not by itself rule you out. If you assumed you would not qualify because of savings, that assumption does not apply here.
The three Savings Programs
- QMB — Qualified Medicare Beneficiary. The most comprehensive. Pays your Part A and Part B premiums plus Medicare deductibles, coinsurance and copays. Critically, providers generally may not bill you for Medicare cost-sharing at all.
- SLMB — Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary. Pays your Part B premium, which is $202.90 a month in 2026.
- QI — Qualifying Individual. Also pays the Part B premium, at a slightly higher income range. Funded from a limited annual allocation and awarded first-come, first-served, so applying early in the year matters.
Income limits change every year, so rather than print figures that go stale we check your current numbers with you — or you can confirm them directly with AHCCCS.
Qualifying for any of these automatically gets you Extra Help with prescription costs, which sharply cuts Part D premiums and copays and removes the Part D late-enrolment penalty. That alone is often worth more than people expect. More on Part D →
ALTCS — long-term care
The Arizona Long Term Care System covers nursing facility care, assisted living and in-home services for people who need that level of care. Two features are worth knowing:
- ALTCS is an entitlement with no waiting list. Everyone who meets the financial and medical criteria receives services. Many states run waiver programmes with waiting lists that can run for years; Arizona does not.
- Medicare does not pay for long-term custodial care. It covers skilled nursing under specific conditions for a limited period — in 2026, days 21 through 100 carry $217 per day in coinsurance. Indefinite room and board is not covered. ALTCS is the programme that addresses that.
If you have both Medicare and AHCCCS
Having both makes you a dual eligible, which opens a category of Medicare Advantage plan built for exactly that situation — a Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan, or D-SNP. These typically carry a $0 premium and include Part D.
Arizona structures this more tightly than many states: AHCCCS requires its Complete Care and ALTCS health plan contractors to operate a D-SNP in every service area where they hold a Medicaid contract. In practice that means your Medicare and AHCCCS coverage can be aligned under one organisation rather than run as two disconnected systems.
How to apply
Applications go through AHCCCS, online at healthearizonaplus.gov, by phone, or in person. We are glad to walk through whether it is worth applying before you spend time on the paperwork — that conversation costs nothing and takes about ten minutes.
Common questions
I have savings. Can I still qualify in Arizona?
Very possibly. Arizona applies no asset or resource test to the Medicare Savings Programs — the AHCCCS eligibility chart lists the resource limit for QMB, SLMB and QI-1 as not applicable, so only income is measured. This is different from most states, and it means savings alone do not disqualify you.
What does QMB actually protect me from?
QMB pays your Part A and Part B premiums and your Medicare deductibles, coinsurance and copays. Just as importantly, providers generally may not bill a QMB for Medicare cost-sharing. If you are a QMB and receive a bill for Medicare coinsurance, that is usually an error worth challenging.
Is there a waiting list for ALTCS?
No. ALTCS is an entitlement programme — everyone who meets the financial and medical criteria receives services. That differs from many states, which run long-term care waiver programmes with waiting lists that can last years.
Does Medicare pay for a nursing home in Arizona?
Not for long-term custodial care. Medicare covers skilled nursing under specific conditions and for a limited period, with $217 per day coinsurance for days 21 through 100 in 2026. It does not cover indefinite room and board. ALTCS is the Arizona programme that covers long-term care for those who qualify.
