Monthly premiums will be $99.90 for the majority of Medicare recipients, a slight increase from $96.40. That $3.50 increase will be more than offset by an expected 3.6 percent cost of living adjustment to Social Security payments, according to a HHS press release.
Medicare Trustees had previously predicted that the monthly premium would be $106.90 in 2012. The Medicare Part B deductible will also decrease by $22 next year, down from $162 in 2011 to $140.
Part B pays for physicians' services, outpatient hospital services, certain home health services, durable medical equipment, and other items, according to HHS.
