Southern Senior Care Blog

A little good news for the 40+ million Medicare recipents in the U.S. The monthly premium for Medicare Part B will remain the same for 2009. For individuals making $85,000 or less and couples making $175,000 and less the Part B cost will say $96.40.

Authors Opinion

That is probably the only Medicare cost that will remain the same for 2009. I don’t have the numbers yet, but I would expect the Part B deductible of $135 to increase slightly. I would also expect the Part A deductible of $1,024 to increase as well. If you have a Medicare Supplement, one or both of these costs are probably covered for you.

Medicare Supplement premiums are not tied to a calendar year. Most Medicare Supplements will have annual increases in premium which you will incur on the anniversary of your policy.

Lastly, Medicare Advantage plans and Prescription Drug plans do have a calendar year contract. I expect that most of these plans will have an increase as well. These increases would go into effect starting January 1st, 2009.

If you have any questions, as always, simply fill out our contact form and we’ll get back with you usually within one day.