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The standard Medicare Part B premium will increase to $202.90 per month in 2026, up $17.90, or 9.7%, from $185 per month in 2025, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The increase marks the second-highest Part B premium increase in dollars, according to Mary Johnson, an independent Social Security and Medicare analyst. The highest increase of $21.60 per month happened in 2022.
Retirees may see this as a “continuation in relentless cost increases,” Johnson said via email.
Medicare Part B is medical insurance that covers both medically necessary and preventive services.
Part B premiums are typically deducted directly from Social Security checks. Any increase to those monthly premium payments affects how much of an increase Social Security beneficiaries may see in their monthly checks in 2026.
The Social Security Administration has announced a 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment for 2026, which is expected to add about $56 per month on average to retirement benefits.
The Part B premium for 2026 may be seen by beneficiaries as “taking a significant chunk of or even most of their COLA,” Johnson said.
A hold harmless provision ensures that Social Security benefit payments do not decrease from one year to the next as a result of Medicare Part B premium increases.
That said, other automatic deductions from Social Security checks for premiums tied to private Medicare Advantage insurance plans or Part D prescription drug coverage may reduce benefits, according to Johnson.
The $202.90 standard Part B premium rate will apply to individuals with modified adjusted gross income less than or equal to $109,000, and for married couples who file taxes jointly with modified AGI less than or equal to $218,000.
Approximately 8% of Medicare Part B beneficiaries pay what is called an income-related monthly adjustment amount that is added to their monthly premiums if their incomes are higher, according to CMS.
The annual deductible for Part B will be $283 in 2026, according to the agency, a 10% increase from the $257 annual deductible in effect for 2025.
The increases to both Medicare Part B premiums and deductibles are primarily due to “projected price changes and assumed utilization increases that are consistent with historical experience,” according to the CMS fact sheet on the price changes.
Income-related adjustment amounts are typically based on tax returns filed two years prior. Beneficiaries who have since had their income go down, or who have experienced a qualifying life event, may report that by submitting a form to the Social Security Administration.