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Some Medicare Recipients Will See a Rise in 2010 Premiums

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OCTOBER 26, 2009  VOLUME 16, NUMBER 59

The Medicare program has announced its 2010 premium and coinsurance rates. As predicted, an anticipated increase in medical costs will mean a steep rise in Medicare-related premiums, but federal law protects most recipients from having to pay the new rates. One effect of changes in Medicare rate-setting over the last few years will be seen more clearly in 2010. Not long ago, every Medicare beneficiary could expect to pay the same portion of his or her medical costs. Those days are over, and a confusing system of co-payments, deductibles and premiums has now gotten more confusing.

Medicare has set the annual premium increase for Part B insurance at 15%, which translates into a 2010 premium of $110.50 per month. Nearly three-quarters of Medicare beneficiaries, however, will not have to pay that higher amount. Congress limited current Medicare beneficiaries’ premium increases to no more than their Social Security cost-of-living adjustment. Since Social Security announced two months ago that there will not be a COLA increase in 2010, that means that most Medicare beneficiaries will continue to pay $96.40 per month for Part B.

Who will pay the higher figure? Three groups of people:

  1. People who have been receiving Medicare but have not had Part B premiums deducted from their Social Security checks, for whatever reason, are not protected from the increased premiums.
  2. New Medicare beneficiaries are not protected, either. If you start receiving Medicare benefits in 2010 for the first time, you will pay the higher rate.
  3. Wealthy Medicare beneficiaries are not protected from increases. If a single person makes more than $85,000 per year, or a married couple more than $170,000, they will see the increase in their Part B premiums.

Wealthy Medicare beneficiaries actually get a double dose of increased premiums. Not only are they not protected from the 2010 increase, but they may also have to pay higher premiums based on their income levels. For the wealthiest Medicare beneficiaries — those whose individual income is over $214,000, or couples whose income is over $428,000 — the new Part B premium will be $353.60 per month.

Income for these calculations is determined by reference to the beneficiary’s 2008 income tax return. For those whose income has dropped since that year, it is possible to request a revision based on a later year’s tax returns.

Other premiums, co-payments and deductibles are also set to increase in 2010. Among the increases: an anticipated typical rise by about $2 in monthly Part D (drug plan) premiums nationwide.

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Robert B. Fleming

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Robert Fleming is a Fellow of both the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. He has been certified as a Specialist in Estate and Trust Law by the State Bar of Arizona‘s Board of Legal Specialization, and he is also a Certified Elder Law Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation. Robert has a long history of involvement in local, state and national organizations. He is most proud of his instrumental involvement in the Special Needs Alliance, the premier national organization for lawyers dealing with special needs trusts and planning.

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Elizabeth Noble Rollings Friman is a principal and licensed fiduciary at Fleming & Curti, PLC. Elizabeth enjoys estate planning and helping families navigate trust and probate administrations. She is passionate about the fiduciary work that she performs as a trustee, personal representative, guardian, and conservator. Elizabeth works with CPAs, financial professionals, case managers, and medical providers to tailor solutions to complex family challenges. Elizabeth is often called upon to serve as a neutral party so that families can avoid protracted legal conflict. Elizabeth relies on the expertise of her team at Fleming & Curti, and as the Firm approaches its third decade, she is proud of the culture of care and consideration that the Firm embodies. Finding workable solutions to sensitive and complex family challenges is something that Elizabeth and the Fleming & Curti team do well.

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Matthew is a law clerk who recently earned his law degree from the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law. His undergraduate degree is in psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Matthew has had a passion for advocacy in the Tucson community since his time as a law student representative in the Workers’ Rights Clinic. He also has worked in both the Pima County Attorney’s Office and the Pima County Public Defender’s Office. He enjoys playing basketball, caring for his cat, and listening to audiobooks narrated by the authors.