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10-Year Cost History

The Top 5 Medicare Changes, Every Year for the Past Decade

Premiums, deductibles, and the policy shifts behind them — 2017 through 2026, sourced directly from CMS's annual Medicare Parts A & B announcements. No plan is being sold here — just the numbers, laid out plainly.

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Part B premium: +51%

The standard Part B premium rose from $134/mo in 2017 to $202.90/mo in 2026.

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Part A deductible: +32%

The inpatient hospital deductible climbed from $1,316 in 2017 to $1,736 in 2026.

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Part D got a hard cap

The Inflation Reduction Act introduced a $2,000 annual out-of-pocket drug cap in 2025 — the biggest Part D change in the program's history.

2026Current Year
Announced Nov 14, 2025 by CMS · Effective Jan 1, 2026
  • 1Part B premium rises to $202.90/mo (up $17.90 from 2025) — the largest single-year dollar increase on record.
  • 2Part B deductible increases to $283 (up $26).
  • 3Part A inpatient hospital deductible rises to $1,736 (up $60).
  • 4Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,100 (up from $2,000) under the Inflation Reduction Act's annual cap.
  • 5Part D base premium set at $38.99, with future increases capped at 6%/year through 2029.
Source: CMS, "2026 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles" (Nov 14, 2025).
2025
Announced Nov 8, 2024 by CMS · Effective Jan 1, 2025
  • 1Part B premium rises to $185.00/mo (up $10.30 from 2024).
  • 2Part B deductible increases to $257 (up $17).
  • 3Part A inpatient hospital deductible rises to $1,676 (up $44).
  • 4The $2,000 annual Part D out-of-pocket cap takes full effect for the first time — eliminating the old "donut hole" catastrophic gap entirely.
  • 5A standalone immunosuppressive drug Part B premium option is set at $110.40/mo.
Source: CMS, "2025 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles" (Nov 8, 2024).
2024
Announced Oct 12, 2023 by CMS · Effective Jan 1, 2024
  • 1Part B premium rises to $174.70/mo (up $9.80 from $164.90).
  • 2Part B deductible increases to $240 (up $14).
  • 3Part A inpatient hospital deductible rises to $1,632 (up $32).
  • 4Beneficiaries in the Part D catastrophic phase pay $0 coinsurance for the first time — a transitional step under the Inflation Reduction Act ahead of the 2025 hard cap.
  • 5Insulin cost-sharing stays capped at $35/month across Part D and Part B-covered insulin.
Source: CMS, "2024 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles" (Oct 12, 2023).
2023Rare decrease
Announced Sep 27, 2022 by CMS · Effective Jan 1, 2023
  • 1Part B premium falls to $164.90/mo (down from $170.10) — one of the only year-over-year decreases in the program's history.
  • 2Part B deductible falls to $226 (down from $233).
  • 3Part A inpatient hospital deductible rises to $1,600 (up from $1,556).
  • 4A new immunosuppressive-drug-only Part B premium option launches at $97.10/mo.
  • 5Insulin capped at $35/month for the first time under the newly enacted Inflation Reduction Act.
Source: CMS, "2023 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles" (Sep 27, 2022).
2022Largest jump
Announced Nov 12, 2021 by CMS · Effective Jan 1, 2022
  • 1Part B premium jumps to $170.10/mo — a $21.60 increase from $148.50, the largest dollar increase in the decade, driven partly by a contingency reserve tied to a costly new Alzheimer's drug (Aduhelm).
  • 2Part B deductible rises to $233 (up $30).
  • 3Part A inpatient hospital deductible rises to $1,556 (up $72).
  • 4A 5.9% Social Security COLA that year helped offset the premium jump for most beneficiaries.
  • 5CMS later cited this year's spike as the reason for the rare 2023 premium decrease once the Alzheimer's drug's price and use were reassessed.
Source: CMS, "CMS Announces 2022 Medicare Part B Premiums" (Nov 12, 2021).
2021
Announced Nov 6, 2020 by CMS · Effective Jan 1, 2021
  • 1Part B premium rises to $148.50/mo (up $3.90 from $144.60) — one of the smallest increases of the decade, amid COVID-19 relief efforts.
  • 2Part B deductible increases to $203 (up $5).
  • 3Part A inpatient hospital deductible rises to $1,484 (up $76).
  • 4Part A daily coinsurance (days 61–90) rises to $371/day, up from $352.
  • 5CMS specifically cited legislative action to keep the Part B premium increase modest despite pandemic-driven cost pressure.
Source: CMS, "2021 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles" (Nov 6, 2020).
2020
Effective Jan 1, 2020
  • 1Part B premium rises to $144.60/mo (up $9.10 from $135.50), attributed to rising costs of physician-administered drugs.
  • 2Part B deductible increases to $198 (up $13).
  • 3Part A inpatient hospital deductible rises to $1,408 (up $44).
  • 4Part A daily coinsurance (days 61–90) rises to $352/day.
  • 5Medicare Advantage average premiums fall ~14%, reaching their lowest level in 13 years.
Source: CMS 2020 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles notice.
2019
Announced Oct 12, 2018 by CMS · Effective Jan 1, 2019
  • 1Part B premium rises to $135.50/mo (up $1.50 from $134) — one of the smallest increases of the decade.
  • 2Part B deductible increases to $185 (up $2).
  • 3Part A inpatient hospital deductible rises to $1,364 (up $24).
  • 4Skilled nursing facility coinsurance (days 21–100) rises to $170.50/day.
  • 5CMS launches the eMedicare Initiative and an online out-of-pocket cost calculator; average Medicare Advantage premiums are projected to fall 6% to $28/mo.
Source: CMS, "CMS Announces 2019 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles" (Oct 12, 2018).
2018Premium held flat
Announced Nov 17, 2017 by CMS · Effective Jan 1, 2018
  • 1Part B premium holds flat at $134/mo — no increase, thanks to the hold-harmless provision catching up with a stronger Social Security COLA.
  • 2Part B deductible holds flat at $183, unchanged from 2017.
  • 3Part A inpatient hospital deductible rises to $1,340 (up from $1,316).
  • 4Skilled nursing facility coinsurance (days 21–100) rises to $167.50/day.
  • 5Average basic Part D premium projected to decline to $33.50 — the first drop since 2012.
Source: CMS, "2018 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles Announced" (Nov 17, 2017).
2017Two-tier premium split
Announced Nov 10, 2016 by CMS · Effective Jan 1, 2017
  • 1A near-zero (0.3%) Social Security COLA triggers the hold-harmless provision: ~70% of beneficiaries pay an average Part B premium of ~$109/mo, while the other 30% (new enrollees, high earners, dual-eligibles) pay the full $134/mo — a ~10% jump for that group.
  • 2Part B deductible jumps to $183 (up from $166) — one of the largest single-year deductible increases of the decade.
  • 3Part A inpatient hospital deductible rises to $1,316 (up from $1,288).
  • 4The gap between held-harmless and non-held-harmless beneficiaries becomes a recurring theme flagged by CMS in subsequent years' announcements.
  • 5This split illustrates why so many people are surprised their "Medicare premium" doesn't match a neighbor's — the hold-harmless rule ties individual increases to each person's own Social Security check.
Source: CMS, "2017 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles Announced" (Nov 10, 2016).
A note on these numbers

These are national standard amounts — your bill may differ

Every figure above is the CMS-published standard national amount for Original Medicare Part A and Part B. Your actual premium can be lower (hold-harmless), higher (IRMAA income surcharges), or replaced entirely by a Medicare Advantage plan's own premium and cost-sharing structure. Part D premiums vary plan-by-plan and region-by-region. This is exactly the kind of detail a ten-minute conversation clears up fast.

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