2018 Medicare Part B Deductible
For 2018, the Medicare Part B Deductible is $183 (Deductible) and $134 (Standard premium).
Effective 2018-01-01Source: 2018 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles (CMS)Verified 2026-08-29
Compared with 2017
Every figure on this page is unchanged from 2017.
| Item | 2017 | 2018 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deductible | $183 | $183 | +$0 (+0.0%) |
| Standard premium | $134 | $134 | +$0 (+0.0%) |
Who it applies to
People enrolled in Medicare Part B.
What changed this year, and why
The annual deductible and standard monthly premium for Medicare Part B for 2018.
Common questions
- What is the Medicare Part B deductible for 2018?
- The annual deductible for Medicare Part B in 2018 is $183. This is the amount a beneficiary pays out of pocket before Medicare begins to cover its share of approved services.
- What is the standard monthly premium for Medicare Part B in 2018?
- The standard monthly premium is $134. Some beneficiaries pay less than this amount because a statutory hold-harmless provision limits their premium increase to no more than the increase in their Social Security benefits.
- Did the deductible or standard premium change from 2017 to 2018?
- No. Both the $183 annual deductible and the $134 standard monthly premium are the same as they were in 2017.
What the Part B deductible applies to
Medicare Part B is the component of Original Medicare that helps pay for medically necessary outpatient care and medical supplies. According to CMS, Part B covers physician services, outpatient hospital services, certain home health services, durable medical equipment, and other items. This means the Part B deductible - which is $183 in 2018 - applies when a beneficiary receives these covered services rather than inpatient hospital care (which falls under Part A). After the deductible is met in a calendar year, Part B generally pays its share of the Medicare-approved amount for covered services, and the beneficiary is responsible for any applicable coinsurance or copayment. Understanding what Part B covers helps beneficiaries predict when the deductible will be triggered, since it applies to outpatient and professional services rather than hospital admissions.
Medicare Part B covers physician services, outpatient hospital services, certain home health services, durable medical equipment, and other items.
2018 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles (CMS)
Part A has its own separate deductible
Medicare Part A is the hospital insurance portion of the program. It covers inpatient hospital care, skilled nursing facility care, and some home health care services. Part A has its own separate deductible that applies specifically to inpatient hospital stays. This is distinct from the Part B deductible, which applies to physician and outpatient services. Beneficiaries who need both hospital care and physician services may be responsible for both deductibles in the same year. Part A's coverage focuses on facility-based care, while Part B covers the medical services provided in those settings and elsewhere. The separate deductible structure reflects the different types of services each part of Medicare is designed to cover. Understanding what Part A covers helps beneficiaries anticipate when they will need to pay the Part A deductible and what types of medical expenses count toward meeting it.
Medicare Part A covers inpatient hospital, skilled nursing facility, and some home health care services.
2018 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles (CMS)
Why most people pay no Part A premium
Most Medicare beneficiaries do not pay a monthly premium for Part A because they qualify for premium-free coverage based on their work history. About 99 percent of Medicare beneficiaries do not have a Part A premium since they have at least 40 quarters of Medicare-covered employment. This means they or their spouse worked and paid Medicare taxes for at least 40 quarters. A quarter of coverage is earned when a worker pays Medicare payroll taxes on wages or self-employment income. The 40-quarter threshold is the minimum employment requirement to receive hospital insurance coverage without paying a monthly premium. Spouses may also qualify for premium-free Part A based on a working spouse's record, even if they did not work themselves. Because the vast majority of enrollees meet this work-history requirement, Part A is premium-free for most people. Those who have fewer than 40 quarters may still enroll in Part A but must pay a monthly premium.
About 99 percent of Medicare beneficiaries do not have a Part A premium since they have at least 40 quarters of Medicare-covered employment.
2018 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles (CMS)
The Part A deductible is per benefit period, not per year
The Part A deductible is calculated per benefit period, not per calendar year. The Part A deductible covers beneficiaries' share of costs for the first 60 days of Medicare-covered inpatient hospital care in a benefit period. A benefit period begins the day a beneficiary is admitted to the hospital and ends when they have not received inpatient hospital care for 60 consecutive days. This means a beneficiary could potentially pay the Part A deductible more than once in a single year if they are hospitalized, recover for 60 days, and then are hospitalized again. After the first 60 days in a benefit period, beneficiaries pay daily coinsurance amounts rather than another deductible. This structure is different from the Part B deductible, which resets once per calendar year. Understanding how benefit periods work is essential for estimating out-of-pocket hospital costs, since multiple hospitalizations in one year could result in multiple deductibles.
The Part A deductible covers beneficiaries’ share of costs for the first 60 days of Medicare-covered inpatient hospital care in a benefit period.
2018 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles (CMS)
Married, living together, filing separately: the income surcharge jumps
Beneficiaries with higher incomes pay an income-related monthly adjustment amount, or IRMAA, on top of the standard Part B premium of $134. The surcharge thresholds are more stringent for married individuals who file separately. For married beneficiaries who lived with their spouse at any time during the taxable year but file a separate tax return, the IRMAA surcharge kicks in at a much lower income level than for other filing categories. A married person filing separately who lived with their spouse at any point during the year faces the top-tier surcharge on any income above the lowest threshold. This pushes their total monthly Part B premium significantly higher than the standard amount. The rule is designed to prevent married couples from avoiding the higher surcharge brackets by filing separate returns while continuing to share a household. This filing status results in the steepest premium increase relative to income of any category.
Premiums for beneficiaries who are married and lived with their spouse at any time during the taxable year, but file a separate return, are as follows:
2018 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles (CMS)
How each figure was verified
Each number below was read from a stored copy of the document named beside it, and checked to occur word for word in the quoted sentence. The digest is of that stored text.
2018 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles (CMS)
- Deductible
The annual deductible for all Medicare Part B beneficiaries will be $183 in 2018
The standard monthly premium for Medicare Part B enrollees will be $134 for 2018