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November 15, 2016 at 12:33 PM
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) says it will hold the increase in the monthly premium for Medicare Part A hospitalization coverage to less than 1 percent for low-income enrollees in 2017.
But CMS will let the Medicare Part B outpatient and physician services coverage premiums for some higher-income Medicare enrollees rise about 10 percent.
CMS published the official 2017 premium notices for the Medicare Part A hospitalization insurance program, and the Medicare Part B outpatient and physician services program, today in the Federal Register.
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CMS has also posted a simpler summary of the premium changes on its own website.
About 49 million U.S. residents over 65 qualify to get Medicare Part A without paying a monthly premium because they or their spouses have earned access to no-premium Part A coverage by paying payroll taxes.
The monthly premium for the 654,000 Part A enrollees who do have to pay the premiums will increase just 0.5 percent in 2017, to $413.
The monthly premium for 67,000 low-income Part A enrollees who qualify for a special reduced rate will also increase 0.5 percent, to $227.
The rules that apply to Medicare Part B rates are different.
CMS must charge higher-income Medicare Part B enrollees premiums that are higher than the standard premium. Extra charges begin to apply for enrollees who file individual tax returns and have more than $85,000 in annual income, and to enrollees who file joint returns and have more than $170,000 in annual income.
