How rising Medicare premiums could impact what your 2026 Social Security check
(CBS NEWS) -Sources from CBS say a higher Medicare premium set to go into effect in 2026 will push the monthly charge above $200 for the first time, with the increase likely to erode next year’s cost-of-living increase for millions of Social Security recipients.
The premium for Medicare’s Part B, which covers doctor visits and other outpatient services, will rise 9.7% to $202.90, an increase of $17.90 from the current $185 monthly cost, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said earlier this month. It’s the largest increase since 2022, when the Part B premium jumped 15%.
The Part B deductible, the amount seniors must pay out of pocket before their coverage kicks in— is also rising about 10%, jumping to $283 next year from this year’s $257.
The Part B premium, which is deducted automatically from seniors’ monthly Social Security checks, is rising at a rate that’s three times that of inflation, partly due to a rise in underlying health care costs, Anne Montgomery, senior health policy expert at the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare (NCPSSM), said in a blog post. The Medicare premium increase means that seniors may not have much room to keep up with inflation, Max Richtman, the president and CEO of the same group, told CBS News.
“So many rely on [Social Security] for all or most of their income,” he said. “This is gonna hurt.”
The Social Security Administration set next year’s cost-of-living increase at 2.8%, which will boost the average Social Security paycheck by $56 to about $2,071 per month.
The Medicare Part B premium hike will consume about a third of next year’s COLA, effectively lowering the rate to 1.9% — far below the current inflation rate of 3%, according to NCPSSM’s analysis. People with lower monthly benefits could even see an effective COLA of zero, the group said.
Rising health care costs
Health care costs have been rising for all Americans, contributing to the sticker shock that seniors and other groups are experiencing. In 2023, Americans spent an average of $1,514 on out-of-pocket health care costs, an increase of 9% from 2020 on an inflation-adjusted basis, according to KFF.
Aside from underlying health care inflation, Medicare’s costs are also increasing because of increased demand for medical services, CMS said this month.
Working adults will also face higher health care premiums in 2026. Roughly 22 million Americans who get their health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces will also be faced with steep rate hikes if Congress fails to extend premium tax credits, which help lower the cost for the majority of people on ACA plans.
Those credits are set to expire at the end of 2025, which became the main sticking point in the recent government shutdown. Without an extension, Americans who rely on the tax credit could see their costs more than double in 2026, KFF estimates.
Workers with employee-sponsored coverage are also likely to see their costs climb next year, with most expected to pay 6% to 7% more for their 2026 plans, according to an analysis from consultant Mercer.
