In 2026 the base Part B premium will be $202.90, an increase of $17.90, or 9.68%. This is a bit less than expected, but still significantly more than the general rate of inflation.
The IRMAA will start at $109,000 for individuals and $218,000 for married couples, up from $106,000 and $212,000 respectively.
| MAGI Single |
MAGI Joint |
MAGI Married Filing Separately and Living with Spouse |
Part B Monthly Premium |
Part B Income Related Monthly Adjustment Amount |
Part D Income Related Monthly Adjustment Amount |
Total Part B & D Premium |
| ≤$109,000 |
≤$218,000 |
≤$109,000 |
$202.90 |
$0.00 |
$0.00 |
$202.90 |
| $109,001–$137,000 |
$218,001–$274,000 |
|
$202.90 |
$81.20 |
$14.50 |
$298.60 |
| $137,001–$171,000 |
$274,001–$342,000 |
|
$202.90 |
$202.90 |
$37.50 |
$443.30 |
| $171,001–$205,000 |
$342,001–$410,000 |
|
$202.90 |
$324.60 |
$60.40 |
$587.90 |
| $205,001–$499,999 |
$400,001–$749,999 |
$109,001–$390,999 |
$202.90 |
$446.30 |
$83.30 |
$732.50 |
| ≥$500,000 |
≥$750,000 |
≥$391,000 |
$202.90 |
$487.00 |
$91.00 |
$780.90 |
With the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment being 2.8% and the Part B premium going up by nearly 10%, clients whose Social Security benefits are less than $639 per month will be affected by the hold-harmless provision. In their case, the dollar amount of the 2.8% COLA will not cover the full $17.90 increase in the Part B premium, so their Part B premium will be held to the amount covered by the COLA. This basically negates the COLA.
To some degree, all clients on Medicare will have their COLA eaten away by the nearly-10% increase in the Part B premium. For example, a client with a $3,000 monthly benefit will get a COLA bump of $84 ($3,000 x .028). If $17.90 goes toward the Part B premium, it leaves $66.10, for an actual COLA increase of 2.2%.
The new Part B deductible will be $283, an increase of $26.
See the CMS Fact Sheet for more.