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Hello Toni:

In the new Medicare & You Handbook that I received about a month ago, I cannot find what the 2026 Medicare costs and premiums will be. I would like this information because I have been diagnosed with a heart condition and will need to undergo heart surgery next year. I have looked online and cannot find the costs there either.

Do you have any idea what the 2026 Medicare costs will be?

—Carol from Sugar Land, Texas

Hello Carol:

Every year the Medicare & You Handbook is mailed out before October 1 to all Medicare beneficiaries to help guide them through the Medicare Open Enrollment Period (OEP) period, which ends December 7. This year’s handbook states that at the time of printing, the premiums and deductible amounts for Medicare Part A, Part B and Part D were not available.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the 2026 Medicare costs last Friday, Nov. 14, with an increase for both Medicare Parts A and B premiums and deductibles.

Below are the 2026 Medicare Part A and B premiums and deductibles, as well as information on the 2026 Medicare Part D changes that affect Medicare’s Part D prescription drug costs.

2026 Medicare Parts A and B premiums and costs

—Part A Costs (Inpatient Hospital): The new 2026 Part A inpatient hospital deductible will be an increase of $60, from $1,676 in 2025 to $1,736 for 2026. The Part A deductible starts over every 60 days. It is not a once-a-year deductible but six times a year. Skilled nursing is included under Part A, and the 2026 costs will be $0 copay per day for days 1-20 and $217 per day for days 21-100.

—Part B Costs (Medical): The new 2026 Part B medical/doctor deductible will increase by $26, from the $257 deductible in 2025 to $283 beginning Jan. 1, 2026. After the deductible is met, Medicare pays 80% of the Medicare-approved amount and the Medicare beneficiary pays the remaining 20% of the Medicare-approved amount.

—Part B Premium: The premium for 2026 has an increase of $17.90, from $185 in 2025 to $202.90 beginning Jan. 1, 2026. Those with an income higher than $109,000 as an individual or $218,000 as a married couple will pay more for their Medicare Part B premium beginning Jan. 1, 2026. Those premiums for higher-income earners were also released on Nov. 14 and can be viewed at www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/2026-me dicare-parts-b-premiums-deductibles.

2026 Medicare Part D costs and co-pays

—Initial Deductible will increase by $25 from $590 in 2025 to $615 beginning Jan. 1, 2026.

—Initial Coverage has six drug-tier stages; the Part D plan pays its share of the cost of your drugs, and you pay your share until the maximum amount of $2,100 out of pocket is met. Then you move into the Catastrophic Coverage stage and pay $0.

— Total out of pocket: Effective Jan. 1, 2026, the maximum out of pocket will be $2,100.

On January 1 of each year, the Part D process starts all over again with a new Medicare Prescription Drug plan and a new initial deductible and maximum initial coverage limit.

Medicare’s Prescription Payment Plan, which began Jan. 1, 2025, is a payment option available to help manage the $2,100 maximum out-of-pocket drug costs by spreading your monthly prescription drug costs throughout the year from January to December. For more information about the payment plan, visit www.medicare.gov or call your Medicare Part D plan.

Readers, your prescription drug needs can change with each yearly Medicare Open Enrollment Period. Review your options carefully, because with Medicare, what you don’t know WILL hurt you!

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Toni King is an author and columnist on Medicare, Social Security and long-term care issues. She has spent nearly 30 years as a top sales leader in the field. If you have a Medicare question, email info@tonisays.com or call 832-519-8664. Sign up for the Toni Says newsletter at www.tonisays.com to keep up to date on Medicare changes.

©2025 Toni King. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Copyright 2025 Toni King, Distributed by Counterpoint Media