CMS: Premiums may rise in 2010

WASHINGTON Medicare beneficiaries will see premiums get a little bigger next year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced last week.

CMS estimated that the average monthly premium that beneficiaries pay for standard Part D coverage in 2010 will be $30, compared with $28 this year. The agency said the change was not significant, but that some beneficiaries may need to ensure they have coverage when open enrollment begins later this year.

“The majority of beneficiaries enrolled in prescription drug plans should see only small changes in their Part D premiums or benefits in the coming year,” CMS Center for Health Plan Choices acting director Jonathan Blum said in a statement. “Although most Part D plans should have relatively stable premiums, all beneficiaries should compare their current coverage with the plans that will be offered in 2010 when information becomes available in October.”

Some low-income beneficiaries who receive a subsidiary for their premiums may have to move to a new plan to ensure they remain in a zero-premium plan next because the premium will be higher than the subsidy amount, the agency said.