The number of Medicare patients subject to higher premiums will more than double between 2011 and 2019, according to an analysis by the non-profit Kaiser Family Foundation in Washington. Depending on how many of your Medicare patients are considered "higher-income," you could see many more of them getting hit with higher premiums gradually over the next nine years.
The changes are caused by two lesser-known provisions in the health reform law that are aimed at cost control. Upper-income Part B patients already pay higher monthly Part B premiums, but the health reform law freezes the income thresholds that determine which patients get hit. The 2010 levels are $85,000 for individuals and $170,000 for couples. These figures are now frozen under health reform.
Because of this, the percent of Part B patients affected will jump from 5% (2.4 million patients) currently to 14% (7.8 million patients) over the next nine years, according to Kaiser. For these folks, monthly Part B premiums will range from $161.50 to $369.10 per month in 2011, depending on income, compared to the standard Part B premium of $115.40 per month in 2011.