Thelma has received Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) for more than eight years. Thelma moved from Baltimore Maryland to Arkansas to take care of a parent. Unfortunately, she lost her mother in 2020 and assumed the mortgage payments on a home that her mother purchased and that she is also living in. These payments along with utilities and other expenses have made it difficult for Thelma to make ends meet.  

Thelma is enrolled in United Health Care Medicare Advantage Plan. She has a U-Card and receives $188 a month on her U-card to pay for utilities and other expenses. If she did not have this, it would place even more of a hardship on her. Her son helps with other bills when he is able. 

If she did not have the QMB, she would not be able to pay for medicine or other needs. It is a struggle, but the U-card and QMB have made it easier to survive on a small, fixed income. 

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