This Little Known Provision Could Add Hundreds of $ to Your Medicare Premiums
Category: Medicare
August 21, 2025. IRMAA is not a hurricane, but it could have that effect on finances for higher income Medicare recipients who are not careful. The rule determines how much your Medicare Part B premiums will be beyond the base rate, based on your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) from 2 years prior.
The standard monthly Part B premium in 2026 is expected to be $206.50, an 11.6% increase and the largest in years. For married recipients with income over $216,000 the Part B premium will go up an estimated $216, increasing through different brackets until taxpayers with MAGI over $750,000 will pay $635.50 per month (the final figure could change substantially).
Kiplingers has an article, “I Missed the 2 Year IRMAA Rule, Now My Medicare Premiums Are Soaring” which explains the problem. IRMAA stands for income-related monthly adjustment amount, and it affects your Part B and Part Medicare premiums.
Comments on "This Little Known Provision Could Add Hundreds of $ to Your Medicare Premiums"
Mike says:
I wish the 2026 Part B premium would be $186.90, only a $1.90 increase from this year but the June report from Medicare Trustees said the estimated standard Part B premium will be $206.50. and the Part B deductible is estimated to be $288. The average Social Security increase is expected to be $54 per month in 2026.
The following estimates of premiums and deductibles are from the same June Medicare report:
Year Premium Deductible
2027 218.60 305
2028 231.30 323
2029 247.40 346
2030 264.70 370
2031 281.60 394
2032 300.80 421
2033 325.90 456
2034 347.50 486
Link to Medicare Trustees report: https://www.cms.gov/oact/tr/2025. Page 204
A perfect storm is coming, a 20% or more cut coming soon to Social Security with increased medical expenses.
Admin says:
Thanks for the correction MIke. That almost 12% hike in Part B premiums will consume an estimated 40% of next year's SS COLA. Still unclear how much premiums will go up for IRMAA affected recipients.
Mike says:
Editor's note:
Thanks to Billy Mike realized that the figures he originally put in this Comment were off, so we deleted them (hence the next few comments). In the meantime, it looks like the best estimate is that IRMAA will kick in for single files at $109,000 for 2026 (but remember that is based on your income for 2024). Check out this link for more detail.
https://www.kiplinger.com/retirement/medicare/medicare-premiums-projected-irmaa-for-parts-b-and-d-for-2026
From Mike:
My Medigap premium went up by 30% in July and expectations are that Advantage premiums are going to rise since Wall Street isn’t getting the expected returns on investment.
Billy says:
I read MAGI up to 106000 for individuals has no IRMAA for 2025, so are you saying income thresholds are lowering ?
Billy says:
That's an income in 2023 used for 2025
Mike says:
Billy looks like the articles I read about the 2026 IRMAA were way off base, your post made me dig deeper. Looks like $109,000 is closer to what next years IRMMA threshold will be. Maybe Admin should delete my figures to avoid confusion.
Admin commment: Thanks Mike and Billy, we have deleted those figures.