Medicare Part B Premiums Set to Rise in 2026
According to a recent announcement from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), premiums for Medicare Part B are projected to increase by approximately 10 percent in 2026.
CMS outlined the new monthly actuarial premium rates for Medicare Part B beneficiaries starting next year. Senior citizens and disabled participants will see their monthly premiums rise to $405.40 and $585.60, respectively.
The notice indicates that the 2026 premiums reflect a 9.7 percent increase—an additional $17.90—over the 2025 standard premium rate of $185.00, resulting in a total of $202.90.
This jump is almost twice the increase seen in 2025, which raised the standard monthly Part B premium from $174.70 in 2024 to $185.
The deductible for all Part B enrollees is set to be $283 next year.
Medicare Part B generally covers a range of medical expenses, such as ambulance services, outpatient hospital services, selected prescription drugs, medical equipment, oxygen equipment, and certain services for substance use disorders.
During the Trump administration, it was noted that the increase could have been more significant if not for actions taken earlier this year concerning skin substitutes—biological or synthetic products utilized for outpatient wound treatment.
In July, CMS proposed steps to “reduce waste and unnecessary use of skin substitutes,” citing a sharp rise in Medicare Part B spending from $256 million in 2019 to over $10 billion in 2024.
Additionally, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General mentioned in September that skin substitutes seem to be “particularly vulnerable to suspicious billing and fraud.”
According to CMS, the hikes in the 2026 Part B standard premium and deductible are mainly due to anticipated price fluctuations in line with prior trends and increased expected usage. They asserted that if the Trump Administration had not addressed the rising costs of skin substitutes, Part B premium increases might have surged by around $11 monthly.
However, with the changes stipulated in the 2026 Physician Compensation Schedule Final Rule, spending on skin substitutes is projected to drop by 90% without negatively affecting patient care.
Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.), who is the ranking member of the House Ways and Means Committee, criticized the rate increase.
“The across-the-board Medicare cost hikes announced by the Trump administration show that no one is shielded from the relentless pressure on people’s finances and the public health system,” Neal stated on Monday.
He further expressed concern, remarking, “Not satisfied with outrageous premium increases for those who purchase their own insurance, President Trump is also taking measures to escalate costs for all Americans with employer-based insurance, increasing expenses by over $200 annually for those eligible for Medicare.”
