When it comes to determining which Medicare coverage is right for your situation, there’s a long list of factors that you can and should consider.
But the actual costs of coverage are critical to consumers – and like most products and services, they change from year to year. Here’s a quick guide to the costs Medicare beneficiaries can expect in 2026 for each type of Medicare coverage.
(Note that while Medicare Advantage enrollees are still responsible for the Part B premium, the plan design and cost-sharing structure will be different under a Medicare Advantage plan; the following details for out-of-pocket costs under Medicare Parts A and B are specific to people who have Original Medicare.)
Medicare Part A (inpatient care)
2026 Medicare Part A premium:
- There is no Medicare Part A premium for most beneficiaries who paid into Medicare through payroll taxes (99% of Medicare beneficiaries do not have to pay a monthly premium for Medicare Part A).
- The Part A premium in 2026 is $311/month for those who worked / paid into Medicare between 7.5 and 10 years. (Work history can be yours or your spouse’s.)
- The Part A premium in 2026 is $565/month for those with a work history of less than 7.5 years.
2026 Part A deductible:
- The 2026 Medicare Part A deductible is $1,736, up from $1,676 in 2025.
- The Part A deductible covers up to 60 days in the hospital.
- The Part A deductible is per benefit period, NOT per year. Once a beneficiary has been out of the hospital for at least 60 days, a new benefit period would start if and when they needed to be hospitalized again.
2026 Part A daily copayments:
Part A copayments apply if and when you’re hospitalized for longer than 60 days, or spend more than 20 days in a skilled nursing facility after being discharged from the hospital. Here are the details:
- In 2026, the Part A copayment is $434 per inpatient day (days 61-90 in the benefit period for which the deductible applied).
- The Part A copayment is $868 per inpatient day for day 91 and beyond during a benefit period in 2026. These are your lifetime reserve days, and you only get 60 of them throughout your lifetime. They only start to be used up once you’ve spent 90 days in the hospital during a single benefit period. But if you do use up all your lifetime reserve days and don’t have supplemental coverage, you’re responsible for all hospital costs after the lifetime reserve days are used up. However, if you’re discharged, stay out of the hospital for at least 60 days, and then have to be readmitted, a new benefit period would begin and you’d only have to pay the Part A deductible for the first 60 days of inpatient care in the new benefit period.
- Medicare Part A covers 100% of the cost of skilled nursing facility care for the first 20 days, as long as you had at least a three-night inpatient hospital stay prior to the skilled nursing facility stay. After the first 20 days, your skilled nursing facility coinsurance in 2026 is $217 per day for days 21-100. (After that, Medicare no longer covers skilled nursing facility charges, so you’ll pay the full cost.)
Learn more about Medicare Part A.
Medicare Part B (outpatient care)
2026 Medicare Part B premiums:
2026 Part B deductible:
- Enrollees who receive Part B-covered treatment during the year must pay the Part B deductible, which is $283 in 2026, up from $257 in 2025.
- Medigap plans C and F will pay the Part B deductible for you, but they’re no longer available for newly eligible Medicare enrollees. People who were already eligible for Medicare prior to the start of 2020 can keep Plans C or F if they already have them, or enroll in them at a later date. But people who become eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020 no longer have access to Medigap plans that cover the Medicare Part B deductible. (Plan G is still available for newly eligible enrollees; it’s the same as Plan F except enrollees cover the Part B deductible themselves.)
2026 Medicare Part B coinsurance:
- Once you’ve paid your Medicare Part B deductible, you’ll be responsible for 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for the Part B services you receive, and there’s no limit on how high your coinsurance bills can get. But Medigap plans cover some or all of the Part B coinsurance.
- If your doctor doesn’t accept assignment, they can charge you up to an additional 15%, unless your state imposes a lower limit. (Medigap plans F and G cover this excess charge; Plan G is still available to newly eligible enrollees, although Plan F is not).
Learn more about Medicare Part B.
Medigap
Medigap premiums:
- Medigap premiums vary considerably depending on the location, the plan (G, L, N, etc.), and the insurer.
- You can use Medicare’s plan finder tool to compare the available Medigap options in your area. Depending on where you live and how old you are, you might see plans priced from as low as $30/month to as high as $300/month or more (premiums can be considerably higher in most states if the applicant is under 65 and eligible for Medicare due to a disability; in some states, these applicants can’t get Medigap until they turn 65).
Medigap out-of-pocket costs
- The out-of-pocket costs you’ll pay after your Medigap plan pays its share will depend on the plan design you select.
Medicare Part C (Medicare Advantage)
2026 Medicare Advantage premiums:
- If you have Medicare Advantage, you’ll pay the Part B premium ($202.90/month for most people in 2026) plus the Medicare Advantage premium for your coverage. Most Medicare Advantage plans include Part D drug coverage, so you don’t need to purchase a separate Part D plan if your Medicare Advantage plan covers drugs.
- The average 2026 Medicare Advantage premium is expected to be $14/month in 2026, down from $16.40/month in 2025. But the majority of Medicare Advantage enrollees pay no premiums other than their Part B premium. And although Medicare Advantage enrollees are responsible for paying the Part B premium, about a quarter of Medicare Advantage plans pay at least a portion of their enrollees’ Part B premiums in 2026.
2026 Medicare Advantage maximum out-of-pocket:
- The Medicare Advantage maximum out-of-pocket decreased to $9,250 for in-network costs (not counting prescription costs) in 2026, down from $9,350 in 2025. Most plans have out-of-pocket caps well below the allowable maximum, but the median out-of-pocket limit increased to $5,900 for 2026.
Learn more about Medicare Advantage.
Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage
2026 Medicare Part D premiums:
- Average premiums for stand-alone Part D prescription drug plans (PDPs) are expected to be $34.50/month in 2026, which is a little lower than the average 2025 premium.
- There continues to be a wide range of PDP premiums, varying from $0 to more than $100/month in most areas. But overall there are fewer PDPs available for 2026 than there were in 2025. Enrollees in a plan that’s ending will need to select a new plan to have coverage for 2026.
2026 Medicare Part D deductible:
- The maximum Part D deductible an enrollee will pay in 2026 is $615, up from $590 in 2025. (Some plans have no deductible at all.)
Part D maximum out-of-pocket costs:
Learn more about Medicare Part D.
Medicare Extra Help
Medicare Extra Help beneficiary 2026 co-pays:
- Medicare Extra Help copays in 2026 will be $5.10 for generics and $12.65 for brand name drugs, although enrollees who get full-scope Medicaid benefits as well as coverage under the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary program will pay no more than $4.90 for prescriptions.
Learn more about Medicare Extra Help.
Louise Norris is an individual health insurance broker who has been writing about health insurance and health reform since 2006. She has written hundreds of opinions and educational pieces about the Affordable Care Act and Medicare for healthinsurance.org and medicareresources.org.
