Medicare Premiums, Deductibles to Soar

Medicare recipients will pay higher premiums for medical insurance and larger deductibles for hospital stays next year, the government said Friday.

Premiums for Part B insurance, which covers doctors’ bills and outpatient services, will rise to $36.60 next year from the current monthly premium of $31.80.

For Part A insurance, which covers hospitalization, patients will have to pay a deductible of $676 for each hospital stay, the Department of Health and Human Services said. That is a 3.7% increase from the $652 deductible now in effect.