If you get $1000 in food stamps, pay $1000 for your meds per month in deductibles/out-of-pocket, getting the insurance and paying, say $50 which reduces your out-of-pocket med expenses to $500 will only reduce your food stamps $50.

So, whereas you got 1,000 in food stamps but paid $1,000 for meds (equalling $0) now you will have $950 in food stamps but only pay $500 for meds so you will have a gain of $450.

So, total up how much your current insurance-for-meds plan costs you each month, how much your deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses are (for example if you pay $10 for a med at the pharmacy) and balance that total against how much the Help would cost and cover.

If the total of what you are paying for meds and med-insurance now (X) each month is greater than the cost of insurance that would pay for more of the costs (Y), then you want to get the Medicare/Y insurance. They will subtract its cost out of your food stamps but you will end up having more "cash" out of your total income.

Even if you have no insurance now; if you have five drugs that you get for $10 each each month for $50 total, and the insurance costs $30 a month and you pay $0 for each with the insurance, that is a gain of $20 in your pocket! They just have you pay from a "strange" part of your income (food stamps).

Income $1,000 from job
$1,000 from food stamps
Total = $2,000
Expense $50 for meds
Total = $1,950

Income $1,000 from job
$970 from food stamps
No expense for meds
Total $1,970