Medicare Part B premiums up $5 per month next year

The increase will eat about a quarter of a typical retiree's cost-of-living raise in Social Security payments.

The Associated Press/New York Times: Medicare Premiums To Rise By $5 A Month
Medicare premiums will rise by $5 a month next year, the government said Friday. That is less than expected, but enough to consume about a fourth of a typical retiree's cost-of-living raise in Social Security payments next year (11/16).

Modern Healthcare: HHS Announces Changes To Medicare Premiums, Deductibles
Medicare Part B premiums will rise in 2013 while Part A premiums will fall, HHS announced Friday. Published in the Federal Register, the notice said the standard premium for Medicare Part B -- which covers physician, outpatient hospital and certain home health services, as well as durable medical equipment -- will be $104.90, a 5 percent increase over the 2012 premium of $99.90. The deductible for Part B services next year will be $147, up from $140. Meanwhile, premiums for Part A will drop by $10 to $441 for 2013. Medicare Part A covers inpatient hospitals, skilled-nursing facilities and some home health care (Zigmond, 11/16).

CQ HealthBeat: Medicare Part B Premium Increase Modest For 2013
With health care inflation relatively stable, officials at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released rules Friday that include a $5-per-month increase in Medicare Part B premiums and a $28 hike in the hospital inpatient deductible. The Part B premium will reach a milestone, however, topping $100 a month. The monthly payment for Part B, which covers doctor visits, outpatient hospital services, home health care and other items, will be $104.90 next year, compared to the current $99.90. And the deductible for inpatient hospital stays will go to $1,184 in 2013 from $1,156 this year. One item will be decreasing: the Part A monthly premium, which pays for inpatient hospital stays, skilled nursing facilities and some home care for about 1 percent of Medicare beneficiaries who do not automatically qualify for the program. That premium will be $441 a month, down $10 a month from this year (11/16).