MEDICARE PREMIUMS, DEDUCTIBLES

Feature/Year	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012
Part B Premium	$96.40	$96.40	$110.50	$115.40	$99.90
Part A: Inpatient Hospital Deductible	$1,024	$1,068	$1,100	$1,132	$1,156
Hospital Coinsurance 61-90 days 91-150 days (lifetime reserve)	$256 $512	$267 $534	$275 $550	$283 $566	$289 $578
Skilled Nursing Facility Care Coinsurance Days 1-20 21-100 days	$0 $128	$0 $133.50	$0 $137.50	$0 $141.50	$0 $144.50
Part B: Physician's Services and Supplies Annual Deductible	$135	$135	$155	$162	$140

What does Medicare Part B Cost?
Costs will rise slightly for people that paid $96.40 for their Part B coverage in 2011 but everybody else will get a bit of a break. Most people will pay $99.90 for their Part B coverage except for certain high income people. See this bulletin for more information on how the Social Security Administration will determine whether means testing will affect your premium. http://www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10536.html

When Should I Sign up for Medicare Part B?
Medicare starts at age 65 whether you are retiring or not. If you work for a small employer, less than 20 employees, then you should take out Part B when you turn 65 or you will accrue a permanent penalty of 10% of the Part B premium for every year that you don't have this coverage. If you are retired then your coverage through a retiree plan becomes secondary to Medicare so you should have both parts A and B. Medicare is not available on a family basis so the community spouse cannot join when a beneficiary becomes eligible. There is no requirement that your insurer notify you when their coverage becomes secondary. Even though you are paying for full coverage, you might owe the deductible and 80% of the cost of covered services if you don't have Medicare after age 65. You have eight months to sign up for Medicare after losing creditable coverage from a company that has 20 or more employees. You will have to wait until the next Open Enrollment period, that starts every year in January, to enroll if you are enrolling late and coverage will not start until July of that year. People on COBRA after age 65 should get Medicare within eight months of losing group coverage as COBRA is not considered group coverage.

Medicare's Preventive Services
Medicare's Preventive Services contains information about how preventive services are paid for in Medicare. There are also links to a number of booklets that cover specific aspects of care for men and women. Some exams are covered with no Part B deductible. An annual exam with your doctor is not covered unless he codes it as a follow-up if you are being treated for a chronic disease or are a high risk for diseases like cancer.