Medicare

Before 2007 all Medicare recipients paid the same premium but a law passed in 2003 that took effect in 2007 changed that. The new law said higher income people (couples with incomes of $170,000 or more) would pay higher Part B Medicare premiums ranging from $154 t0 $354 per month. The income level of $170,000 was indexed to inflation but Obama care stopped that so these higher income people will pay more for Medicare premiums but it did not affect the average person. For some individuals who are close to the $170,000 point their premiums will go up and could be as high as $354. By freezing the limit at $170,000 slowly more and more people will move into that bracket. Currently 2.4 million people fall into the higher income group and it is estimate that by 2019 that number will grow to 7.8 million. Again this will not affect most people. Obama care also does this same thing to Part D prescription drug and higher income people will see their premiums rise in this area.