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What You’ll Pay for Medicare in 2019

Posted: 11/1/2018 9:35 AM by Interim HealthCare

Dear Savvy Senior,

I know there will be a small 2.8 percent cost-of-living increase in Social Security benefits next year but what about Medicare? What will our Medicare Part B monthly premiums and other Medicare costs be in 2019?

Curious Jim

Dear Jim,

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently announced their cost adjustments for 2019, and you’ll be happy to know that the standard Medicare Part B monthly premium for most beneficiaries starting in January will be $135.50, a modest increase of just $1.50 per month over 2018’s standard premium.

There are, however, a small group of Medicare beneficiaries (about 2 million people) who will actually pay less than $135.50 because the 2.8 percent cost-of-living increase in their Social Security checks will not be large enough to cover the full premium increase. Thanks to the Social Security Act’s “hold harmless” provision, Medicare cannot pass along premium increases greater than the dollar increase in their Social Security checks.

In addition, there are also a small group of high-income beneficiaries (about 3 million people) that will pay higher Part B premiums because their income is above $85,000 as a single, or $170,000 as a married couple filing jointly.

Medicare uses modified adjusted gross income from your tax return from two years ago to determine your premiums, which means that 2019 Part B premiums are determined by 2017 income.

So, if your income was $85,001 to $107,000 (or $170,001 to $214,000 if filing jointly), your monthly premium will increase from $187.50 to $189.60. Monthly premiums for singles with an income of $107,001 to $133,500 (joint filers with income of $214,001 to $267,000) will rise from $267.90 to $270.90. And premiums for singles earning $133,501 to $160,000 ($267,001 to $320,000 for joint filers) will increase from $348.30 to $352.20.

If you had higher income than that, your monthly premium for 2018 was $428.60. In 2019, there will be an extra surcharge tier for people with the highest income.

If your income is between $160,001 and $499,999 ($320,001 to $749,999 for joint filers), you’ll pay $433.40 per month. Single filers with income of $500,000 or more ($750,000 or more for joint filers) will pay $460.50 per month.

If you fall into any of these high-income categories and you’ve experienced certain life-changing events that have reduced your income since 2017, such as retirement, divorce or the death of a spouse, you can contest the surcharge. For more information about contesting or reducing the high-income surcharge, see “Medicare Premiums: Rules for Higher-Income Beneficiaries” at SSA.gov/pubs/EN-05-10536.pdf.

In addition to the Part B premium increases, the annual deductible for Medicare Part B, which covers physician services and other outpatient services, will see a mild bump from $183 to $185 in 2019. The deductible for Medicare Part A, which covers hospital services, will increase from $1,340 in 2018 to $1,364 in 2019.

For more information on all the Medicare costs for 2019 visit Medicare.gov and click on “Find out how much Medicare costs in 2019,” or call 800-633-4227.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.