Is The Medicare Part B Premium A Percentage Of Our Social Security Amount?
Listen to this episode
In this podcast, Rusty answers a reader’s “simple question” about how Medicare’s Part B premium is determined. And it isn’t what she thought!
Dear Rusty: I have a simple question: Is the amount we pay for Medicare Part B premium a percent of our Social Security amount we receive? Signed: Curious
Rusty’s answer in brief
No. The Part B premium has nothing to do with the size of your Social Security check. Each fall, CMS sets a “standard” premium meant to cover about a quarter of expected Part B costs, spread across everyone enrolled; for 2026 it is $202.90.
Two rules can change what you personally pay. The “hold harmless” provision can lower the premium so a Medicare increase never shrinks your net Social Security payment, and IRMAA adds a surcharge to Part B (and Part D) for higher-income beneficiaries, based on the tax return from two years earlier.
This recording presents the viewpoints of the AMAC Foundation’s Social Security Advisory Staff, trained and accredited under the National Social Security Advisors program of the National Social Security Association, LLC (NSSA). NSSA and the AMAC Foundation are not affiliated with or endorsed by the United States Government, the Social Security Administration, or any other state government. To request additional information, contact our Advisory Staff at 888-750-2622, or email us at SSAdvisor@AmacFoundation.org.