The 69 million Americans who rely on Medicare will see their Social Security checks shrink next year thanks to increases in premiums and deductibles.
HOUSTON — Senior citizens and people with disabilities who rely on Medicare for health coverage will pay more in 2026.
Medicare Part B premiums will jump nearly 10% next year, the largest increase in four years and the second-largest hike, in dollar terms, in the program’s history, CNN reports. The standard monthly premium for recipients who make less than $109,000 a year will be $202.90, an increase of $17.90 from 2025, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
That will eat up nearly one-third of the $56 monthly Social Security cost-of-living adjustment that retirees will receive in 2026.
“In a world in which people are concerned about the affordability of health care and all other needs, it’s pretty distressing that this increase is so large,” said Jeanne Lambrew, director of health care reform at The Century Foundation.
The steep increase in premiums for Medicare Part B — which covers doctors’ visits, outpatient hospital services, medical equipment and drugs administered by physicians, among other services — comes at a time when health insurance premiums are also rising sharply for those with job-based coverage and Affordable Care Act policies.
Medicare deductibles are also going up in 2026. Part A deductibles for hospitalizations will increase to $1,736, which is $60 more than this year. Part B deductibles rise $26 from $257 in 2025 to $283 next year.
This upward trend puts more pressure on Americans already struggling with affordability as the prices of food, utilities and other necessities remain stubbornly high.
Roughly 69 million Americans are enrolled in Medicare.
The annual open enrollment period ends December 7.
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