Medicare Part B Costs in 2024

What to Expect in the Year Ahead

Medicare Part B covers the bulk of your healthcare expenses through two types of services: medically necessary and preventive. Understanding how those services translate into your care and what you will pay out of pocket is essential in planning a 2024 budget.

A doctor listening to the heartbeat of an older male patient

Rob Melnychuk / Getty Images

Part B Deductible

The annual deductible for Part B is $240 in 2024, a $14 increase from 2023. You are required to pay the full deductible amount before Medicare will start paying toward your health expenses.

Part B Premiums

You pay monthly premiums for Medicare. Premiums are determined based on income you reported on your taxes two years ago. For 2024, you will refer to your 2022 filing.

If you do not pay your premiums in a timely manner, your coverage will be taken away. You are given a grace period of usually 90 days to make payments before your Part B coverage is canceled.

2024 Part B Premiums for Individuals

Income Bracket in 2024 Income Bracket in 2023 Your Costs in 2024
Less than $103,000 Less than $97,000 $174.70/month ($2,096.40/year)
$103,000 - $129,000 $97,000 - $123,000 $244.60/month ($2,935.20/year)
$129,000 - $161,000 $123,000 - $153,000 $349.40/month ($4,192.80/year)
$161,000 - $193,000 $153,000 - $183,000 $454.20/month ($5,450.40/year)
$193,000 - $500,000 $183,000 - $500,000 $559.00/month ($6,708.00/year)
More than $500,000 More than $500,000 $594.00/month ($7,128.00/year)

2024 Part B Premiums for Married Couples

Income Bracket in 2024 Income Bracket in 2023 Your Costs in 2024
Less than $206,000 Less than $194,000 $174.70/month ($2,096.40/year)
$206,000 - $258,000 $194,000 - $246,000 $244.60/month ($2,935.20/year)
$258,000 - $322,000 $246,000 - $306,000 $349.40/month ($4,192.80/year)
$322,000 - $386,000 $306,000 - $366,000 $454.20/month ($5,450.40/year)
$386,000 - $750,000 $366,000 - $750,000 $559.00/month ($6,708.00/year)
More than $750,000 More than $750,000 $594.50/month ($7,128.00/year)

2024 Part B Premiums for Married People Filing as Individuals

Income Bracket in 2024 Income Bracket in 2023 Your Costs in 2024
Less than $103,000 Less than $97,000 $174.70/month ($2,096.40/year)
$103,000 - $397,000 $97,000 - $403,000 $559.00/month ($6,708.00/year)
More than $397,000 More than $403,000 $594.00/month ($7,128.00/year)

Although the premium rates are set by marital status, these values represent how much each individual will pay for Medicare Part B each month.

Partial Part B Benefit for Immunosuppressive Drugs (Part B-ID)

Part B options may be different for people with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), i.e., they are either on dialysis or need/have had a kidney transplant. ESRD Medicare coverage typically ends 36 months after a transplant has been successfully completed if the transplanted kidney remains functional.

After a transplant, you will need to be on life-long immunosuppressive drugs to prevent your body from rejecting the organ. Losing Medicare coverage after 36 months could cause unnecessary complications.

Starting in 2023, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services offered a new Part B benefit for people who have had a kidney transplant. Known as the Partial Part B Benefit for Immunosuppressive Drugs (Part B-ID), its coverage is limited to immunosuppressive drugs. To qualify, someone has to have been covered by ESRD Medicare at the time of their transplant and cannot have other active insurance that could cover these medications.

Because other Part B benefits are not included with Part B-ID, what you pay for Part B premiums will be less, although the deductible and 20% coinsurance remain the same.

Part B Premiums and Social Security

You cannot be expected to pay more for Medicare if there is not also a proportionate rise in Social Security benefits. The hold harmless provision of the Social Security Act protects recipients from paying higher Medicare Part B premiums if those premiums will cause their Social Security benefits to be lower than they were the year before.

Simply put, increases in Part B premiums cannot exceed the annual cost-of-living adjustment for Social Security.

In those cases, the Medicare Part B premium will be decreased to maintain the same Social Security benefit amount. However, keep in mind that the hold harmless provision does not apply to Medicare Part D. If the Medicare Part D Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount increases, a beneficiary may still see a decrease in their overall Social Security benefits.

Not everyone is eligible for the hold harmless provision. Only people in the lowest income category who have already been on Medicare Part B and have had their premiums directly deducted from their Social Security checks for at least two months in the past year are considered. Beneficiaries new to Medicare and people on Medicaid will be subjected to the current premium rate.

To account for inflation, the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment for 2024 is 3.2%.

For those who are dual eligible, Medicaid will pay their Medicare premiums.

Part B Premiums and Medicare Advantage

You can elect to have Original Medicare (Parts A and B) or a Medicare Advantage (Part C) plan. Medicare Advantage plans are offered by private insurance companies and will cover everything that Original Medicare offers and more.

Even if you decide on a Medicare Advantage plan and pay premiums to the insurance company, you still have to pay Part B premiums to the government. You must take that added cost into consideration.

Part B Coinsurance

The Part B coinsurance remains unchanged. Medicare pays 80% and you pay 20% with the exception of preventive screening tests. As long as your healthcare provider accepts assignment, your preventive screening tests will be free.

Summary

The majority of your health care will be paid for by Medicare Part B. Likewise, the majority of your out-of-pocket expenses will relate to Medicare Part B. Knowing what you are expected to pay for deductibles, premiums, and coinsurance in 2024 will help you budget appropriately.

10 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. Medicare.gov. What Plan B covers.

  2. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. 2024 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles.

  3. Medicare.gov. Part B (Medical Insurance) costs: Who pays a higher Part B premium because of income?

  4. HealthCare.gov. Premium payments, grace periods, and termination.

  5. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. End-stage renal disease (ESRD).

  6. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Medicare Part B immunosuppressive drug benefit.

  7. Peris KH. The interaction between Medicare premiums and Social Security COLAs. Congressional Research Service.

  8. Social Security Administration. Latest cost-of-living adjustment.

  9. Medicare.gov. Your Medicare coverage choices. What are my costs?

  10. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Medicare & You 2024. The official U.S. government Medicare handbook.

Additional Reading

By Tanya Feke, MD
Tanya Feke, MD, is a board-certified family physician, patient advocate and best-selling author of "Medicare Essentials: A Physician Insider Explains the Fine Print."