Get Ready for Big Changes to Medicare in 2026

Changes are in store for Medicare in 2026, including the implementation of Medicare-negotiated lower prices for a set of high-cost prescription drugs. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently announced these and other changes impacting beneficiaries in the coming year.¹

Medicare Parts A and B:

• The Medicare Part A inpatient hospital deductible will be $1,736 in 2026, an increase of $60 from $1,676 in 2025. The deductible covers beneficiaries’ share of costs for the first 60 days of Medicare-covered inpatient hospital care in a benefit period.

• The standard monthly premium for Medicare Part B enrollees will be $202.90 for 2026, an increase of $17.90 from $185.00 in 2025. Medicare Part B covers physicians’ services, outpatient hospital services, certain home health services, durable medical equipment, and certain other medical and health services not covered by Medicare Part A.

• Higher-income beneficiaries pay a higher share of Medicare program costs for Part B and Part D plans, in addition to the standard premiums, referred to as the Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMAA), if their taxable income exceeds certain thresholds. Your 2024 income will determine your 2026 IRMAA, with new brackets starting for single filers with a Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) over $109,000 and joint filers over $218,000.

Part D Prescription Drug Plans:

• The annual out-of-pocket spending cap for covered Part D drugs will be $2,100 in 2026, up from $2,000 in 2025.

• The maximum allowable Part D deductible will rise from $590 for 2025 to $615 for 2026.

• Prices for the first tenprescription drugs negotiated by Medicare will be effective January 1, 2026. The monthly cost for covered insulin remains capped at$35 with no deductible, and recommended adult vaccines are covered at no cost.

• Those in the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan will be automatically re-enrolled. 

To learn more about these and other upcoming changes to Medicare, visit CMS.gov.

^{1) “2026 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles.”14 NOV 2025, CMS.gov, https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/2026-medicare-parts-b-premiums-deductibles.}