CMS
announces 2019 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles
Last month, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
(CMS) announced the 2019 premiums, deductibles, and
coinsurance amounts for Medicare Parts A and B.
“CMS is committed to empowering beneficiaries with the
information they need to make informed decisions about their
healthcare,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma. “In
addition to the information we recently released for
Medicare Advantage, the program through which private plans
provide Medicare benefits, today we are releasing
information for fee-for-service Medicare, so enrollees
understand their options for receiving Medicare benefits.”
As announced earlier this month, CMS
launched
the eMedicare Initiative that aims to modernize the way
beneficiaries get information about Medicare and create new
ways to help them make the best decisions for themselves and
their families. Ahead of Medicare Open Enrollment – which
begins on October 15, 2018 and ends December 7, 2018 – CMS
is making improvements the Medicare.gov website to help
beneficiaries compare options and decide if Original
Medicare or Medicare Advantage is right for them. Among the
tools released as part of the eMedicare Initiative is a
stand-alone, mobile optimized out of pocket cost calculator
that will provide information on both overall costs and
prescription drug costs.
Medicare Part B Premiums/Deductibles
Medicare Part B covers physician services, outpatient
hospital services, certain home health services, durable
medical equipment, and certain other medical and health
services not covered by Medicare Part A.
The standard monthly premium for Medicare Part B enrollees
will be $135.50 for 2019, a slight increase from $134 in
2018. An estimated two million Medicare beneficiaries (about
3.5 percent) will pay less than the full Part B standard
monthly premium amount in 2019 due to the statutory hold
harmless provision, which limits certain beneficiaries’
increase in their Part B premium to be no greater than the
increase in their Social Security benefits.
CMS also announced that the annual deductible for Medicare
Part B beneficiaries is $185 in 2019, an increase from $183
in 2018.
Medicare Part A Premiums/Deductibles
Medicare Part A covers inpatient hospital, skilled nursing
facility, and some home health care services. About 99
percent of Medicare beneficiaries do not have a Part A
premium since they have at least 40 quarters of
Medicare-covered employment.
The Medicare Part A inpatient deductible that beneficiaries
will pay when admitted to the hospital is $1,364 in 2019, an
increase of $24 from $1,340 in 2018.
Medicare Advantage Premiums
Medicare beneficiaries can choose to enroll in
fee-for-service Medicare (Parts A and B) or can select a
private Medicare Advantage plan to receive their Medicare
benefits. Premiums and deductibles for Medicare Advantage
and Medicare Prescription Drug plans are already finalized
and are unaffected by this announcement.
Last month,
CMS released the benefit, premium, and cost sharing
information for Medicare Advantage plans in 2019. On
average, Medicare Advantage premiums will decline while plan
choices and new benefits increase. On average, Medicare
Advantage premiums in 2019 are estimated to decrease by six
percent to $28, from an average of $29.81 in 2018.
For a fact sheet on the 2019 Medicare Parts A & B premiums
and deductibles, please visit:
https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/2019-medicare-parts-b-premiums-and-deductibles.
For more information on the 2019 Medicare Parts A and B
premiums and deductibles (CMS-8068-N, CMS-8069-N,
CMS-8070-N), please visit
https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection.
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