Medicare Part B premiums will go up by about 10% next year, according to a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announcement, The Hill reported.
CMS released a statement explaining the monthly actuarial rates for Medicare Part B beneficiaries starting in 2026. For seniors and disabled enrollees, the monthly actuarial rates will be $405.40 and $585.60, respectively.
"The 2026 premium is 9.7% or $17.90 higher than the 2025 standard premium rate of $185.00," the notice stated, resulting in a total of $202.90.
This increase is almost twice the percentage rise seen this year, when the standard monthly Part B premium went up from $174.70 in 2024 to $185 in 2025.
The deductible for all Part B enrollees in 2026 will be $283.
Medicare Part B covers certain medical costs — including ambulance services, outpatient hospital services, some prescription drugs, medical equipment, oxygen equipment, and services for substance-use disorders, The Hill noted.
In a statement announcing the 2026 premiums, CMS said that "the increase in the 2026 Part B standard premium and deductible is mainly due to projected price changes and assumed utilization increases that are consistent with historical experience."
The notice continued that "if the Trump Administration had not taken action to address unprecedented spending on skin substitutes [biologic or synthetic products used for outpatient wound care], the Part B premium increase would have been about $11 more a month.
"However, due to changes finalized in the 2026 Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule, spending on skin substitutes is expected to drop by 90% without affecting patient care.”
Massachusetts Democrat Rep. Richard Neal, the ranking member of the House Ways and Means Committee, harshly criticized the increased premium rate, saying that "the across-the-board cost increases in Medicare announced by the Trump administration show that nobody will be spared from their endless assault on people’s wallets and the public health system."
He added, "Not content with exorbitant premium hikes for those who purchase their own coverage, Trump has taken action to raise costs for all Americans with employer coverage and is now hiking costs for people covered by Medicare by more than $200 a year."
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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