Some Social Security recipients may get lower payments next year as a result of a Medicare premium hike.

An increase in Part B Medicare premiums means that beneficiaries will pay $202.90 per month, up from $185 this year—an uptick of 9.7 percent.

Why It Matters

Part B premiums are automatically deducted from Social Security payments. So even while the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2026 has been set to 2.8 percent, the uptick in premiums could see a much smaller benefit increase than anticipated for many.

What To Know

Part B premiums have surged by 66 percent over the last decade, and annual deductibles are also increasing from $257 to $283, a 10 percent increase from this year.

Part B is necessary for those seeking coverage for preventative and medically necessary treatments, covering ambulances, medical equipment, mental health and more.

While the average retired worker receives $2,008 each month from Social Security, the added costs of Part B will lower the COLA from 2.8 to 1.9 percent for Plan B payees.

“Even with a 2.8 percent COLA, many retirees won’t actually feel that increase. Rising Medicare premiums and higher deductibles will eat into it which may be cutting the bump by a full percentage point,” Kevin Thompson, the CEO of 9i Capital Group and the host of the *9innings *podcast, told Newsweek.

“The ones hit hardest are the middle to lower-middle income brackets, people living on roughly $2,000 a month from Social Security. A $202.90 Medicare premium might not seem like much on paper, but if your monthly check is $1,500, that’s a real hit compared to someone receiving $3,000.”

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What People Are Saying

**Michael Ryan, a finance expert and the founder of MichaelRyanMoney.com, told Newsweek: **“Why will some checks look smaller? Because your Social Security raise shows up on the left side of the statement, and the Medicare premium hike shows up on the right side, and the right side is winning. Anyone who has Medicare Part B (and any IRMAA surcharges) deducted from their benefit is affected, but middle and higher‑income retirees feel the biggest sting, since they don’t get much protection from the hold‑harmless rule and many are paying extra IRMAA (Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount) tiers on top.”

**Kevin Thompson, the CEO of 9i Capital Group and the host of the *9innings *podcast, told Newsweek: **“Over time, this slow squeeze matters. Each year the COLA looks good in headlines, but healthcare costs quietly outpace it leaving many retirees with less buying power even as their income rises. And we all know what that means, when your income rises, more of your social security becomes subject to taxation.”

What Happens Next

The effects of the Medicare Part B premium uptick could be compounding in nature over several years, Ryan said.

“Long term, this is less about one bad year and more about a slow squeeze,” he said. “When health‑care costs rise 3 or 4 times faster than your COLA, every ‘raise’ starts to feel like a cut in disguise. The real risk is that Medicare premiums become a stealth means‑test on Social Security, gradually diverting more of each year’s increase away from groceries and toward medical bills.”