What Are the Changes to Medicare Part A and Part B Costs for 2012?
Every year on January 1, Medicare makes changes to the premiums it requires participants to pay for their coverage, and for the deductibles and coinsurance amounts an enrollee has to pay out of pocket when using Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B coverage. Here are the changes for 2012.
Note: The amount someone pays to enroll in a Medicare Part C Medicare Advantage plan or in a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan is determined by the plan itself and varies from plan to plan according to the coverage provided.
Medicare Part A: Inpatient hospital and skilled nursing care
Monthly premium: Most people pay no premium for Medicare Part A. But people who aren't automatically eligible for Part A will pay a monthly premium in 2012 of up to $451 (the specific amount depends on the number of Social Security work credits).
Deductible: Everyone with Medicare Part A pays a deductible of $1,156 for each benefit period of hospital or skilled nursing facility inpatient care.
Hospital coinsurance: If a hospitalization lasts more than 60 days in a single benefit period, the patient pays a coinsurance of $289 per day for days 61 to 90. If a hospitalization lasts more than 90 days, participants must pay $578 a day for up to 150 days.
Skilled nursing facility coinsurance: In any single benefit period, Part A covers up to 100 days of skilled nursing facility care. For the first 20 days, Part A pays the full cost. For the next 80 days, the patient is responsible for a co-payment of $144.50 per day.
Medicare Part B: Outpatient care
Monthly premium: In 2012, most people will pay $99.90 per person, per month. A single person (or a married person filing a separate tax return) with an adjusted gross income over $85,000 per year pays higher premiums, as do couples whose combined income exceeds $170,000, according to the following schedule:
Those with up to $107,000/$214,000 (single/couple) in yearly income pay a monthly premium of $139.90 per person.
Over those amounts and up to $160,000/$320,000 (single/couple), the monthly premium is $199.80 per person.
Over those amounts and up to $214,000/$428,000 (single/couple), the monthly premium is $259.70 per person.
Over $214,000/$428,000 (single/couple), the monthly premium is $319.70 per person.
Annual deductible: $140
