2020 Medicare Part B Deductible
For 2020, the Medicare Part B Deductible is $198 (Deductible) and $144.60 (Standard premium).
Effective 2020-01-01Source: 2020 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles (CMS)Verified 2026-08-29
Compared with 2019
| Item | 2019 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deductible | $185 | $198 | +$13 (+7.0%) |
| Standard premium | $135.50 | $144.60 | +$9.10 (+6.7%) |
Who it applies to
People enrolled in Medicare Part B (physician services, outpatient hospital care, durable medical equipment, and other medical services not covered by Part A).
What changed this year, and why
For 2020, CMS set the annual Medicare Part B deductible at $198 and the standard monthly Part B premium at $144.60.
Common questions
- What is the Medicare Part B deductible for 2020?
- The annual deductible for all Medicare Part B beneficiaries is $198 in 2020.
- What is the standard monthly premium for Medicare Part B in 2020?
- The standard monthly premium for Medicare Part B enrollees is $144.60 for 2020. Beneficiaries with higher incomes may pay more through income-related monthly adjustment amounts (IRMAA).
What the Part B deductible applies to
Medicare Part B covers physician services, outpatient hospital services, certain home health services, durable medical equipment, and certain other medical and health services not covered by Medicare Part A. The Part B deductible applies to these covered services. For 2020, the annual Part B deductible is $198. Beneficiaries must pay this deductible each year before Medicare begins to pay its share of Part B-covered services. The standard monthly Part B premium for 2020 is $144.60. Part B does not cover services that fall under Part A, such as inpatient hospital care, skilled nursing facility care, or home health care that Part A already covers.
Medicare Part B covers physician services, outpatient hospital services, certain home health services, durable medical equipment, and certain other medical and health services not covered by Medicare Part A.
2020 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles (CMS)
Part A has its own separate deductible
Medicare Part A covers inpatient hospital, skilled nursing facility, and some home health care services. The Part B deductible does not apply to these services. Instead, Part A has its own separate deductible that beneficiaries must pay when they are admitted to a hospital. The Part A deductible is a different cost-sharing requirement from the Part B deductible, and each program covers different types of care. For 2020, the standard monthly Part B premium is $144.60 and the annual Part B deductible is $198, but these apply only to Part B-covered services such as physician visits and outpatient care, not to the inpatient hospital and skilled nursing facility services that Part A covers.
Medicare Part A covers inpatient hospital, skilled nursing facility, and some home health care services.
2020 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 (or their spouse) accumulated enough work credits during their careers. Specifically, a person who has worked and paid Medicare payroll taxes for at least 40 quarters of Medicare-covered employment qualifies for premium-free Part A. According to CMS, this accounts for about 99 percent of all Medicare beneficiaries. Those who have fewer than 40 quarters may still enroll in Part A but must pay a monthly premium. The verified standard Part B premium for 2020 is $144.60, and the Part B deductible is $198, but those figures apply to Part B coverage, not to Part A. For the vast majority of enrollees, Part A comes at no additional monthly cost because their work history meets the 40-quarter threshold.
About 99 percent of Medicare beneficiaries do not have a Part A premium since they have at least 40 quarters of Medicare-covered employment.
2020 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles (CMS)
The Part A deductible is per benefit period, not per year
The Part A inpatient hospital 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 you are admitted to a hospital and ends when you have not received inpatient care for 60 consecutive days. This means the deductible is not an annual limit that resets on January 1. If you are hospitalized, meet the deductible, are discharged, and then hospitalized again more than 60 days later, you start a new benefit period and must pay the deductible again. For 2020, the Part A deductible is $198 for Part B services, but the Part A deductible amount itself is different and applies separately to each benefit period.
The Part A inpatient hospital deductible covers beneficiaries’ share of costs for the first 60 days of Medicare-covered inpatient hospital care in a benefit period.
2020 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles (CMS)
Married, living together, filing separately: the income surcharge jumps
Medicare applies an income-related monthly adjustment amount (IRMAA) to Part B premiums for beneficiaries whose income exceeds certain thresholds. For married couples who lived together at any time during the taxable year but file separate tax returns, the income thresholds are the same as for single filers, but the surcharges can be significantly larger because the couple's combined income is effectively split across two separate filings. For 2020, if their individual income is $87,000 or less, there is no IRMAA and the total monthly premium is the standard $144.60. However, if income falls between $87,000 and $413,000, the IRMAA alone is $318.10, pushing the total monthly premium to $462.70. At income of $413,000 or more, the IRMAA jumps to $347.00, making the total monthly premium $491.60. The Part B deductible for 2020 is $198. This filing status rule means that married couples living together cannot avoid higher premiums simply by filing separate returns.
Premiums for high-income beneficiaries who are married and lived with their spouse at any time during the taxable year, but file a separate return, are as follows: Beneficiaries who are married and lived with their spouses at any time during the year, but who file separate tax returns from their spouses: Income-related monthly adjustment amount Total monthly premium amount Less than or equal to $87,000 $0.00 $144.60 Greater than $87,000 and less than $413,000 318.10 462.70 Greater than or equal to $413,000 347.00 491.60
2020 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.
2020 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles (CMS)
- Deductible
The annual deductible for all Medicare Part B beneficiaries is $198 in 2020
The standard monthly premium for Medicare Part B enrollees will be $144.60 for 2020