Elmhurst: making sure Medicaid is actually paying your Medicare premium

A large share of older Elmhurst residents already have Medicaid, often for years, and get most of their care at the public hospital on Broadway. When Medicare starts, the question that matters most for this neighborhood is not whether to apply for something new but whether the Medicare Part B premium (a standard $202.90 a month in 2026, per medicare.gov) is being paid by Medicaid or quietly deducted from a Social Security check. This page explains how to check, and what to do if it is being deducted.

ZIP 11373 covers most of Elmhurst, roughly from Roosevelt Avenue south to the Long Island Expressway and east to Woodhaven Boulevard. Boundaries are approximate; verify with USPS. The county is "Queens."

• HIICAP: 1-800-701-0501. Say "Queens." Ask for an interpreter in Spanish, Chinese, Bengali, or the language you prefer. Free and confidential.
• NY Connects: 1-800-342-9871 (Relay 7-1-1).
• Nearest in-person sites: RAICES/Corona Senior Center, 102-47 43rd Avenue, Corona, NY 11368, 718-458-7259, weekdays 9 to 4, by appointment (take the 7 to 103rd Street–Corona Plaza); or Sunnyside Community Senior Center, 43-31 39th Street, 718-784-6173 x411, weekdays 9 to 4:30, by appointment. Book through NYC Aging Connect at 212-244-6469 (ask for HIICAP).

Elmhurst Medicaid cases belong to HRA, the citywide agency. The HRA Medicaid Helpline is 1-888-692-6116. If your question is "is my Medicare premium being paid," that is the number to call, with your Medicaid card and your most recent Social Security statement in hand.

1. Look at the Social Security benefit statement. If a "Medicare Part B" deduction appears, the premium is coming out of your check. If you have full Medicaid, that is worth a call, because Medicaid can pay it for people whose income fits QMB.
2. Call HRA at the helpline and ask them to check your Medicare Savings Program status on the case. Have your Medicaid CBIC card number ready.
3. If HRA says an MSP is not on the case, file DOH-4328. For 2026 the QMB limit on health.ny.gov is $1,836 a month for one person and $2,489 for a couple; QI is $2,474 and $3,355. There is no resource test.
4. Call HIICAP if anything about the answer is unclear, or if you were told your income is too high for Medicaid but nobody mentioned QI.
5. Check the following statements. Once QMB or QI is approved, the deduction usually stops, and a refund of past premiums often follows. Ask HRA or HIICAP if it does not.

• Assuming "I have Medicaid, so everything is covered." Medicaid and the Medicare Savings Programs are linked but not identical, and the Part B deduction is the only proof of which one you actually have.
• Asking the hospital's financial counselors on Broadway to fix the deduction. They help with hospital bills. The premium question is HRA's, and only HRA can change the case.
• Ignoring a Medicaid renewal packet because "nothing changed." In Elmhurst, a missed renewal is the most common way the premium payment stops. Return the packet on time even when nothing changed.

NYC Health + Hospitals / Elmhurst at 79th Avenue and Broadway is the neighborhood's public hospital. The Elmhurst Avenue station (M, R) connects to the 7 for the Corona counseling site. Neither is an application office.