KSHB 41 reporter Elyse Schoenig covers issues surrounding the cost of health care, saving for retirement and personal debt. Share your story idea with Elyse.
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Seniors will have to pay more for their Medicare Part B coverage in 2025.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) said both the monthly premiums and deductibles are increasing. The monthly premium will climb to $185 in 2025, which is about a 6% increase from 2024.
The CMS said the increase is mostly due to price changes and usage increases.
The Social Security COLA (Cost of Living Adjustments) was recently set at 2.5% for 2025. This means Medicare Part B premiums are again rising faster than COLA.
This leaves some Medicare recipients with tough decisions to make with their health and their money.
"My increase is going to be about 6% and my COLA is only 2.5%, so I'll take a pay cut this year no matter what," Alice Kilic said.
Kilic is an 81-year-old Medicare recipient. She’s a volunteer at KC's Shepherd Center. The center has a Medicare Counseling division of its own too.
"That's devastating,” Kilic said of the increases. "That says to me, I'm 81, if I fall down and break my leg, and have to spend a week or two in the hospital, it's gonna cost me a year's wages."
KC Care Health Center is another resource people can use for Medicare counseling.
The center has navigators to help people enroll in Medicare, which includes knowing what assistance they might qualify for.
"People have been working really hard for their social security benefits, and it's just truly being slowly being chipped away," said Emily Dreher, manager of eligibility and enrollment at KC Care Health Center. "We're kind of preparing for this generation, and the current generation and patient population, just to be a safety net health center."
The annual deductible for all Medicare Part B beneficiaries is also going up. The AARP said it was $240 in 2024 and will be $250 in 2025.
Open enrollment for medicare ends Dec. 7.
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