Most Medicare enrollees must pay the Part B premium whether they have original Medicare or a private Medicare Advantage plan. Some Advantage plans offer a “giveback” benefit where the insurer covers part or all of a member’s Part B monthly premium. Consumers can find those plans on the Medicare plan finder. Deductibles in Medicare Advantage vary by plan.
Part B deductible lower
The annual Part B deductible for 2023 is also decreasing, to $226, a $7 decline. And beginning July 1, Medicare enrollees who take their insulin through a pump as part of the Part B durable medical equipment benefit will not have to pay a deductible. Under the new Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, cost sharing for insulin will be capped at $35 a month next year.
Part A costs increase
While most Medicare enrollees do not pay a monthly premium for Part A, which covers inpatient hospital, skilled nursing facility, hospice and some home health care services, there is a deductible charged for each hospital stay.
For 2023, the Part A deductible will be $1,600 per stay, an increase of $44 from this year. For those people who have not worked long enough to qualify for premium-free Part A, the monthly premium will also rise. The full Part A premium will be $506 a month in 2023, a $7 increase. Whether a beneficiary has to pay the full Part A premium depends on their or their spouse’s work history. Beneficiaries with Medicare Advantage plans should check with their plan for hospital charges.
Dena Bunis covers Medicare, health care, health policy and Congress. She also writes the “Medicare Made Easy” column for the AARP Bulletin. An award-winning journalist, Bunis spent decades working for metropolitan daily newspapers, including as Washington bureau chief for the Orange County Register and as a health policy and workplace writer for Newsday.
https://www.aarp.org/health/medicare-insurance/info-2022/lower-part-b-premiums-deductibles.html
