Medicare Part B Premium 2026 Is $202.90 — and the 2027 Figure Is Not Announced Until the Fall
CMS set the 2026 Part B premium at $202.90 (up $17.90) and the deductible at $283 on Nov. 14, 2025. Higher earners pay $284.10-$689.90. The 2027 amounts were not announced as of Sept. 2026.
★★The numbers for 2026
**Standard Part B premium: $202.90 a month** — **"an increase of $17.90 from $185.00 in 2025"**. **Part B deductible: $283** — up **$26 from $257**. The three official pages read for this page (CMS, RRB, Medicare.gov) give the same figures.[1][2][3]
**Part A hospital deductible: $1,736 per benefit period**, up $60. Most people pay no Part A premium; CMS says about 99% of beneficiaries do not. Coinsurance and buy-in premiums are listed in the claims above from the CMS sheet alone.[1][3]
★★Why "$202.90" is not what everyone pays
**Higher-income enrollees pay more.** The threshold for 2026 is modified adjusted gross income above **$109,000 (individual) or $218,000 (joint)**, based on the tax return from two years earlier. The CMS table runs from **$284.10** in the first bracket to **$689.90** at $500,000 and above. ★**The bracket is set by 2024 income, so a one-time 2024 event — a home sale, a Roth conversion — can raise a 2026 premium.**[1][2]
**Some pay less than the standard amount.** Under the hold-harmless rule, the RRB notes that for current enrollees whose premium is deducted from benefits, the premium **"cannot increase by more than the amount of the cost-of-living adjustment"**. With a $17.90 increase against the 2026 COLA, most people are not protected by it, but those with small benefits can be.[2]
★CMS's own explanation of the increase
CMS says the rise is **"mainly due to projected price changes and assumed utilization increases that are consistent with historical experience"**, and that a new payment policy for skin substitutes avoided a further **"$11 more a month"**. ★**That is the agency describing its own actuarial assumptions**; the RRB release calls the rise **"just under 10 percent"** but offers no independent analysis of the cause.[1][2]
★★★About 2027
**As of September 19, 2026, no 2027 Part B premium has been announced.** The 2026 figure came out on **November 14, 2025**, and Medicare.gov still shows only 2026 amounts. ★**Any 2027 premium figure seen in September is a projection** (for example from the Medicare Trustees Report), not the rate. **This page does not cite a projection** because the Trustees Report was not opened for it. The announced 2027 figure will matter for the 2027 Social Security COLA, which is announced in October — the two numbers are set separately.[1][3]
★What this page could not establish
**The 2026 COLA amount and the share of enrollees who pay IRMAA** were not verified from a primary source here and are omitted. **All three sources are federal agencies**; the RRB is a separate agency from CMS but restates CMS figures, so the cross-check confirms transcription, not independent measurement.[1][2][3]
Verified facts
Cross-checked against 2+ independent sourcesThis section contains facts cross-checked against multiple sources.
The standard monthly Part B premium for 2026 is $202.90, an increase of $17.90 from $185.00 in 2025.[1][2][3] 3 sources
The annual Part B deductible for 2026 is $283, up $26 from $257 in 2025.[1][2][3] 3 sources
The Part A inpatient hospital deductible for 2026 is $1,736 per benefit period, up $60 from $1,676 in 2025.[1][3] 2 sources
Income-related adjustments to the Part B premium apply in 2026 when modified adjusted gross income exceeds $109,000 for an individual or $218,000 for a married couple filing jointly.[1][2] 2 sources
Reported, not confirmed
Not cross-checked — do not read as factFrom here on: claims and speculation that are not cross-checked.
CMS attributes the increase "mainly" to "projected price changes and assumed utilization increases that are consistent with historical experience", and says that without new controls on skin-substitute spending the premium would have been about $11 a month higher.[1] single-source ×1 · CMS fact sheet (the agency explaining its own figure)
2026 Part B premiums by income (individual return): up to $109,000 — $202.90; above $109,000 to $137,000 — $284.10; above $137,000 to $171,000 — $405.80; above $171,000 to $205,000 — $527.50; above $205,000 and below $500,000 — $649.20; $500,000 and above — $689.90.[1] single-source ×1 · CMS fact sheet IRMAA table
Part A coinsurance for 2026: $434 per day for hospital days 61-90 ($419 in 2025), $868 per lifetime reserve day ($838), and $217.00 per day for skilled nursing facility days 21-100 ($209.50). Those who must buy Part A pay $565 a month (reduced rate $311).[1] single-source ×1 · CMS fact sheet
The RRB describes the increase as "just under 10 percent" and notes the hold-harmless provision: Part B premiums for current enrollees "cannot increase by more than the amount of the cost-of-living adjustment" for Social Security or railroad retirement tier I benefits.[2] single-source ×1 · RRB news release
Timeline
- Model
- claude-opus-5
- Time
- 09/20/2026, 01:50
- Tokens
- 10,000
- Sources
- 3 sources adopted
- Model
- claude-opus-5 (analysis session, source re-check)
- Time
- 09/20/2026, 01:50
- Tokens
- 2,000
- Verdict
- Passed
Show revision history (2)
| 09/20/2026, 09:00 | First authored (claude-opus-5) | Created |
| 09/20/2026 | First authored | Updated |
Frequently asked
How much is the Medicare Part B premium in 2026?
$202.90 a month for most people, up $17.90 from $185 in 2025. Higher earners pay $284.10 to $689.90 depending on income.[1][2][3]
What is the Medicare Part B premium for 2027?
Not announced as of September 2026. CMS published the 2026 figure on November 14, 2025; expect a similar timing for 2027. Figures circulating before then are projections.[1][3]
Official links
Sources
- [1] 2026 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles primary
- [2] Medicare Part B Premiums and Deductibles Will Increase in 2026 primary
- [3] Medicare costs primary