26 min listen
CMS Announces 2018 Medicare Premiums MN078
FromMedicare Nation
ratings:
Length:
34 minutes
Released:
Nov 18, 2017
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
Hey Medicare Nation! The Center For Medicare & Medicaid Services has finally announced 2018 Premiums and deductibles for Part A & Part B of Medicare. Just as I had anticipated...... CMS has increased the Part B premium in 2018. A hefty amount....I might add. The 2018 Part B Premium for 2018 will be $134.00. Over 50 Million Medicare beneficiaries were protected by the "held harmless" regulation in 2017. Those Medicare beneficiaries did not see an increase in their Part B Premium for 2017, since the Part B Premium increase of $134.00 was higher than the Social Security COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment) of .3%. When Social Security approved a 2% COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment) for 2018, that gave Medicare the "go ahead" to increase the Part B premium. As long as the Medicare Part B Premium is equal to or less than the Social Security COLA adjustment, the Part B Premium increase will go into effect. Such is the case for 2018. With a 2% COLA increase in Social Security benefits, the majority of Social Security beneficiaries will see an increase of about $24-$25 in their Social Security benefit checks. Those same Social Security beneficiaries, make up about 70% of the Medicare population. CMS planned this out perfectly! The majority of Medicare beneficiaries that make up the same 70%, currently pay about $109.00 for their Medicare Part B Premium. If you add $25 to $109.00, you get........ $134.00! CMS adjusted the amount to become $134.00, to be aligned with the remaining 30% of Medicare beneficiaries, who currently already pay $134.00 for their Part B Premium. Now the majority of Medicare beneficiaries will be paying $134.00 a month for their Part B Premium in 2018. It's not rocket science people. Medicare needs more money to stay solvent. When you take over 50 million people and add $25 a month in premiums.....that equates to BILLIONS of dollars A MONTH! Let's look at the remaining 2018 Deductibles: Part A Hospital Deductible - $1,340.00 per benefit period. In English.....that means you pay $1,340.00 each time you are admitted to the hospital as an inpatient. Whether you are an inpatient for one day or sixty days, you will pay a $1,340.00 deductible. That's an increase of $24.00 from 2017. If you need to remain in the hospital for over 60 consecutive days, you will pay $335.00 per day from days 61-90 of a hospitalization. If you require more than 90 consecutive days in a hospital, you can use your "lifetime reserve" days. You are given 60 lifetime reserve days. When you use a lifetime reserve day....it's gone....forever. Let's say you have a piggy bank that has 60 pennies in it. If you break open the piggy bank and take 1 penny out to use....you have 59 left in the bank. Works the same way for lifetime reserve days. Each lifetime reserve day you use, will cost you $670 per lifetime reserve day in 2018. An increase of $12. from 2017. Skilled Nursing Facility Medicare allows up to 100 consecutive days in a Skilled Nursing Facility. Days 1-20 as a inpatient in a Skilled Nursing Facility will cost you $0. Days 21-100 of extended care services in a Skilled Nursing Facility in the same benefit period will have a co-pay of $167.50 per day. If you require more than 100 consecutive days in a Skilled Nursing Facility, you are responsible for 100% of the charges. Part B of Medicare Aside from paying $134.00 a month for being a "member" of Medicare Part B, you will also have out-of-pocket costs when you use outpatient services. The annual deductible for Part B in 2018 will be $183.00. That is the same amount as 2017. There will be on increase in the Part B deductible. Once you pay your Part B deductible, you will be responsible for 20% of the remaining Medicare allowable charge....under Original Medicare. Let's say you had to visit a Cardiologist and the Medicare allowable charge was $100.00 Medicare would pay 80% of the $100.00 and you would pay the remaining 20%. So....Medicare pays $80 and you would pay $20. You will continue to pay
Released:
Nov 18, 2017
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (100)
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