Medicare Premium, Deductible, and Cost-Sharing Changes for 2026
Revised on November 17, 2025
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updates Medicare premiums, deductibles, and coinsurance amounts annually for Parts A and B, and for the income-related monthly adjustment amounts (IRMAA) that apply to Part D. The 2026 changes are summarized below.
Medicare Part B Premium & Deductible
Medicare Part B covers physicians’ services, outpatient hospital services, certain home-health services, durable medical equipment, and other services not covered by Part A. Premiums, deductibles, and coinsurance are determined annually under provisions of the Social Security Act.
- The standard monthly premium for Part B enrollees will be $202.90 per month in 2026, up from $185 per month in 2025.
- The annual Part B annual deductible will be $283 in 2026, up from $257 in 2025.
Individuals whose full Part B coverage ended 36-months after a kidney transplant (and who lack other types of insurance) may elect to continue Part B coverage solely for immunosuppressive drugs by paying a premium. For 2026, the standard immunosuppressive drug premium is $121.60. Higher-income beneficiaries will pay more.
Medicare Part B & Part D IRMAA (Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amounts)
If your income exceeds certain thresholds, Medicare charges an additional amount called “IRMAA” for Part B and Part D. “IRMAA” stands for Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount.
Medicare looks back two years at your tax to determine whether IRMAA applies. If IRMAA applies to you, but you experienced a major life-changing event and your income has gone down, you may request a reduction in your IRMAA by completing SSA Form-44. You can submit this completed form along with your application for Part B, or you can mail, fax, or bring it to your local Social Security office after you have been notified that IRMAA applies to you. For information on paying your Medicare premiums, visit: https://www.medicare.gov/basics/costs/pay-premiums.
Income Thresholds and Premiums for 2026
| If your MAGI* (modified adjusted gross income) from 2024 was: | What you pay in 2026 (per person) in monthly premiums to Medicare: | |||
| If you file an individual tax return | If you file a joint tax return | If you file a married but separate tax return | Part B Premium + IRMAA | Part D IRMAA (in addition to your Part D premium) |
| $109,000 or less | $218,000 or less | $109,000 or less | $202.90 | NA |
| $109,001 – $137,000 | $218,001 – $274,000 | NA | $284.10 | $14.50 |
| $137,001 – $171, 000 | $274,001 – $342,000 | NA | $405.80 | $37.50 |
| $171,001 – $205,000 | $342,001 – $410,000 | NA | $527.50 | $60.40 |
| $205,001 – $499,999 | $410,001 – $749,999 | $109,001 – $390,999 | $649.20 | $83.30 |
| $500,000 +/= | $750,000 +/= | $391,000 + | $689.90 | $91.00 |
| *MAGI = Modified Adjusted Gross Income (Form 1040 line 11 + tax-exempt interest Form 1040 line 2a) | ||||
Medicare Part A Premium
Medicare Part A, also known as “hospital insurance,” covers inpatient hospital care, skilled nursing facility care, hospice, inpatient rehabilitation, and some home-health services. Approximately 99% of Medicare beneficiaries receive Part A premium-free due to having at least 40 quarters of Medicare-covered employment.
For individuals without sufficient work history (their own or a spouse’s), Part A can be purchased in 2026 for a monthly premium of either $310 per month or $563 per month, (up from $285/$518 per month in 2025).
Part A Deductible
The Medicare Part A deductible for inpatient hospital services covers beneficiaries’ share of costs for the first 60 days of a Medicare-covered inpatient hospital stay in a benefit period.
- The Part A inpatient hospital deductible will be $1,736 in 2026 (up from $1,676 in 2025).
- For days 61–90 of an inpatient hospital stay in a “benefit period”, the coinsurance will be $434 per day in 2026 (up from $419 in 2025).
- For lifetime reserve days (up to 60 days used once in a lifetime), the coinsurance will be $868 per day in 2026 (up from $838 in 2025).
A benefit period begins the day you are admitted to a hospital or skilled nursing facility (SNF) as an inpatient and ends when you are out of the hospital or SNF for 60 consecutive days. Many Medicare insurance plans help cover these deductibles and coinsurance costs.
Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Coinsurance
For beneficiaries in skilled nursing facilities,
- The daily coinsurance for days 1-20 is $0 per day
- For days 21-100 the daily coinsurance is $217 per day in 2026, (up from $209.50 per day in 2025).
Many Medicare insurance plans help cover these coinsurance costs.
Special Enrollment Circumstances2
Most beneficiaries can only change their Medicare Advantage or Part D drug plans during designated enrollment periods. However, certain qualifying life events may make you eligible for a Special Enrollment Period (SEP). Examples include:
- Moving out of your plan’s service area
- Losing other creditable coverage
- Being impacted by a natural disaster or emergency
If you miss an enrollment period due to specific exceptional circumstances, Medicare may grant a special exception. You must contact Medicare directly to request one.
For more information, visit Medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). TTY users: 1-877-486-2048
Sources
1 https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/2026-medicare-parts-b-premiums-deductibles