MW Medicare Part B premiums will rise 10% in 2026, wiping away a third of Social Security's COLA

By Jessica Hall

Premiums will be $202.90 a month, coming directly out of monthly Social Security checks

This will mark the first time the Medicare Part B premiums top $200 a month.

The cost for Medicare Part B premiums will rise about 10% in 2026, wiping away about one-third of the Social Security cost-of-living increase for the average beneficiary.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid said late Friday that the premium for Medicare Part B, which covers which covers doctors and hospital outpatient services, will rise to $202.90 a month starting in January, up from $185 a month currently. It marks the first time the premiums topped $200 a month.

The $17.90 a month increase is the second-highest in program history in terms of dollars, which was set in 2022 at $21.60, according to independent Social Security and Medicare analyst Mary Johnson.

The nearly 10% increase is more than triple the 2.8% increase in the cost-of-living adjustment for Social Security beneficiaries as healthcare expenses surge more than overall inflation. The COLA for 2026 would add about $56 a month to the average Social Security check, but since the Part B premiums are automatically deducted each month - that means about one-third of the COLA increase will be eroded.

"The public is likely to perceive this Part B increase as taking most of their COLA. This is just a continuation of rising cost news. We haven't see any indications whatsoever that costs are going down," Johnson said.

The higher Part B premiums come as inflation remains stubbornly high and older adults face rising costs for healthcare expenses, housing and food.

Still, the Part B premium increase for 2026 is lower than the estimated increase to $206.50, as originally projected by the Medicare trustees.

CMS said the Part B premiums would have been about $11 more a month if the Trump administration had not taken action to address spending on wound-care products used in skin grafts known as skin substitutes. Due to changes finalized in the 2026 Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule, spending on skin substitutes is expected to drop by 90%, CMS said. Medicare spending on skin substitutes had risen from $256 million in 2019 to over $10 billion in 2024, CMS said.

Since 2007, a beneficiary's Part B monthly premium has been based on income. So, beneficiaries with income higher than $109,000 will face even high monthly costs. These income-related monthly adjustment amounts affect roughly 8% of people with Medicare Part B, CMS said.

For beneficiaries with lower incomes, a Part B increase of this size would trigger a "hold harmless" provision for Social Security recipients with a Social Security benefit of $640 or less, Johnson said. That provision limits the dollar increase in the premium to the dollar increase in an individual's Social Security benefit. About four million low-income Social Security beneficiaries will see their Part B increase capped because of the hold harmless provision.

-Jessica Hall

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November 16, 2025 10:32 ET (15:32 GMT)

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