In Reply to: More poll dancing posted by mh on November 21, 2025 at 13:12:18
Senior citizens are the latest group of Americans to face steep increases in their health insurance premiums for 2026.
Medicare Part B premiums will jump nearly 10% next year, the largest increase in four years and second-largest hike, in dollar terms, in the program’s history. The standard monthly premium will be $202.90, an increase of $17.90 from this year, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. That will eat up nearly one-third of the $56 monthly Social Security cost-of-living adjustment that retirees will receive in 2026.
The steep increase in premiums for Medicare Part B — which covers doctors’ visits, outpatient hospital services, medical equipment and drugs administered by physicians, among other services — comes at a time when health insurance premiums are rising sharply for those with job-based coverage and Affordable Care Act policies. This upward trend puts more pressure on Americans already struggling with affordability as the prices of food, utilities and other necessities remain stubbornly high.
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But compared to what is happening to those getting insurance through the ACA, an extra $215 per year doesn't seem so bad.