Medicare premiums, deductibles won't increase in 2015

Premiums and deductibles for Medicare Part B beneficiaries will remain flat for a second straight year, HHS announced Wednesday. In 2015, seniors with incomes below $85,000 will pay a $104.90 monthly premium and face a deductible of $147.

HHS officials said the unchanged rates are reflective of an overall slowdown in Medicare spending in recent years and attributed it to the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Per-beneficiary spending grew by 0.3% in 2012 and was flat in 2013, according to the 2014 Medicare Trustees' report.

“The stabilization of Part B premiums is another example of how we are containing health care costs to provide a more sustainable and affordable health delivery system,” said CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner, in a statement. “This means even greater financial and health security for our seniors.”

Medicare Part B covers doctors' appointments and outpatient hospital care, among other services. Since 2007, seniors with incomes above $85,000—less than 5% of the total population—have been charged higher premiums. In 2015, those monthly premiums also will remain unchanged, ranging from $146.90 to $335.70.

Monthly premiums for Medicare Part A, which includes inpatient hospital care and services at skilled-nursing facilities, will drop by $19 in 2015, to $407. But roughly 99% of beneficiaries don't pay those premiums because they have at least 40 quarters of Medicare-covered employment, according to HHS.

The Part A deductible that beneficiaries pay when admitted to the hospital will be $1,260 next year, an increase of $44.

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