Overview
- The 2026 standard Part B premium will be $202.90 per month and the annual Part B deductible will be $283, with changes taking effect January 1 alongside higher Part A inpatient and coinsurance amounts.
- Medicare actuaries attribute most of the premium hike to increased spending in outpatient hospital settings and the added costs of administering Medicare Advantage.
- CMS said a new Physician Fee Schedule policy cutting skin‑substitute spending is holding the premium about $11 lower than it otherwise would have been.
- Because Part B premiums are typically deducted from Social Security, the increase will absorb much of the 2.8% COLA; the average retired worker’s $56 monthly raise translates to an estimated $38.10 net after the $17.90 premium increase, with roughly four million beneficiaries protected by hold harmless.
- About 8% of enrollees will face higher Part B and Part D charges under updated IRMAA brackets, with some higher‑income retirees paying roughly $700 to nearly $800 per person each month, a dynamic influencing choices during the current Medicare open enrollment period.