If you have not seen or heard of it by now, Medicare’s Part B premium is going up from $148.50 in 2021 to $170.10 in 2022. That is a 14.5% increase. But there’s more….
The Part B deductible is going up from $203 yearly to $233 yearly.
If you have a higher income, note that all IRMAAs are on the increase. The levels are adjusted for inflation, and they begin at $91,000 for individuals/ $182,000 for couples.
CMS (Center for Medicare Services) explained the increases are due to a few factors. I am using a capsulized version to explain the reasoning.
- The overall rising cost of healthcare and utilization that influence premiums. Increases in the intensity of care provided. Covid has definitely caused a spike in both cost and intensity of care.
- In 2021, because of Covid, Congress acted to lower the expected Part B premium increase so that it increased only $3 in 2021. Now Congress has instructed CMS to pay back the reduced premium and that starts in 2022.
- This one is a truly gray area. CMS is anticipating that it will have Medicare cover a new Alzheimer’s drug, Aduhelm, that has been approved by the FDA. There is an ongoing process to analyze whether Medicare will cover the expensive drug. Yearly cost for the drug is $56,000. The gray area is that CMS has not said that Medicare will cover it. But it is putting money aside just in case it is covered.
No one likes premium increases. However, the 5.9% COLA Social Security increase is estimated to be an average of $92 per person. Since the Part B increase is $21.60, most will have a net gain even with the B increase.
In addition to the Part B increase in premiums and deductibles, the Part A deductible is going up from $1,484 to $1,556 in 2022.
For most Medicare Advantage subscribers and Medigap subscribers who have Plans B, C, F, G, and N, there is no Part A deductible. But for Plans A, K, L, M and Hi Deductible F and G, you will be affected by the Part A increase.
Good luck in 2022 and count on Professor Medicare being here to help make sense of Medicare’s alphabet soup. Please contact us today at if you have any questions. You can also call or text us at (858) 689-7445.