Original Medicare Deductibles: 2026 Part A and Part B Costs

Scenario: "I'm on Advantage for 2027. Do Original Medicare deductibles still matter?"

They can, but mainly if you're comparing Original Medicare with Medicare Advantage. Advantage uses its own cost-sharing structure instead of the Original Medicare deductibles.

If you're shopping Original Medicare against Advantage, you're comparing two different cost-sharing setups. An Advantage Summary of Benefits usually won't list the federal Part B deductible. Instead, you'll see the plan's copays and coinsurance.

Verify CMS deductible amounts on Medicare.gov for the effective plan year. For Part B premium and IRMAA, see Medicare Part B premium in 2026.

Start with one question: are you on Original Medicare (often with Medigap), or enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan? Everything below follows from that.

I see this come up when people compare the two paths side by side. The Part B deductible is set by Medicare, but Medicare Advantage plans use their own cost-sharing structure. The $283 Original Medicare Part B deductible is not a line item on an Advantage Summary of Benefits because the plan lists its own copays and coinsurance instead.

Below are the 2026 Part A and Part B deductible amounts, how each one resets, and how Medigap and Advantage treat them.

What are the Original Medicare deductibles for 2026?#

CMS set the 2026 Part A inpatient deductible at $1,736 per benefit period and the Part B annual deductible at $283.

Part A covers inpatient hospital stays, skilled nursing facility care following a qualifying hospital stay, hospice, and some home health. You pay the $1,736 deductible before Part A pays for a hospital admission within a benefit period. After the deductible, Part A covers days 1 through 60 with no daily coinsurance for a typical admission. Longer stays trigger daily coinsurance charges defined by CMS.

Part B covers outpatient care. You pay the $283 deductible once per calendar year, then Medicare generally pays 80% of approved amounts for most covered services. You owe 20% unless Medigap, Medicaid, or another payer covers it.

These amounts are federal. They do not vary between Duval County and Chatham County. Medigap premiums and Advantage copays vary by county. The underlying Original Medicare deductibles do not. CMS publishes the figures each fall in the Medicare Parts A and B premium fact sheet.

Official figures appear on CMS.gov and Medicare.gov cost pages.

Do I pay the Part A and Part B deductibles every year?#

Part B resets every January. Part A resets per benefit period, which can mean multiple deductibles in one calendar year.

A benefit period starts the day you are admitted as an inpatient and ends when you have gone 60 consecutive days without inpatient care. If you are hospitalized in March, discharged, then readmitted in August after more than 60 days at home, you face a second $1,736 Part A deductible in the same calendar year.

Part B's $283 deductible applies once per calendar year regardless of how many specialists you see. You pay it again each January if you use outpatient services that year.

Skilled nursing facility coinsurance follows Part A benefit-period rules too. A rehab stay after hospital discharge can trigger coinsurance days even when you already paid the hospital deductible in the same period. Check Medicare.gov on benefit periods if you are not sure one deductible covers the whole episode.

I would not use calendar-year budgeting alone for Part A. A year with two hospitalizations can mean two Part A deductibles plus Part B coinsurance on follow-up visits.

Does Medigap cover Original Medicare deductibles?#

Most Medigap plans cover the Part A deductible. Plan G and Plan N leave the Part B deductible to you. Plan F covers both for eligible buyers.

Plan G is available to people newly eligible for Medicare. Plan F is generally unavailable to people who became eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020. Letter G covers Part A deductible and coinsurance, Part B coinsurance, and other standardized benefits. You pay the $283 Part B deductible once per year yourself.

Letter N trades a lower premium for small copays on office and emergency visits. You still pay the Part B deductible yourself.

If you already have Plan F and were Medicare-eligible before 2020, that letter can still cover the Part B deductible. Switching to a different letter later may trigger underwriting.

Medigap does not work behind Medicare Advantage. You cannot use Medicare Supplement coverage while enrolled in an Advantage plan.

For letter comparisons, read demystifying Medigap.

Should I verify my doctors and pharmacy before locking in a plan?#

Yes, but provider participation and assignment are separate from whether the Medicare deductible applies. If you use Original Medicare, check whether your doctors accept Medicare assignment and understand what they can charge.

On Medigap, call each must-keep office and confirm Medicare participation. On Advantage, network rules replace Original Medicare deductibles with plan copays.

Verify providers on the exact plan ID in Medicare Plan Finder. Our Medicare Advantage HMO vs PPO guide explains network types.

Part A coinsurance days after the deductible#

After you pay the $1,736 Part A deductible for a hospital benefit period, Part A covers days 1 through 60 with no daily coinsurance for a typical inpatient stay. For 2026, days 61 through 90 carry $434 per day in coinsurance. Lifetime reserve days beyond 90 carry $868 per day while you have reserve days available.

Skilled nursing facility care requires a qualifying three-day inpatient hospital stay first. Part A covers the first 20 SNF days with no coinsurance after the hospital deductible is met within the same benefit period.

For 2026, SNF days 21 through 100 carry $217 per day in coinsurance. Medigap covers those coinsurance days on most current letters when you keep the supplement behind Original Medicare.

Multiple admissions in one calendar year can mean multiple Part A deductibles because benefit periods reset independently of January. A fall in March and a second hospitalization in November after 60 clean days at home triggers two deductibles. Budget accordingly if you have a history of recurrent admissions.

How Advantage replaces Original Medicare deductibles#

Advantage plans replace Original Medicare cost sharing with plan-specific copays and a maximum out-of-pocket limit on in-network Medicare-covered services. A Summary of Benefits may show $0 medical deductible while listing a $350 per day hospital copay for the first five days.

Add hospital copays, specialist visits, and the plan MOOP together. A $0 medical deductible line by itself does not tell you much. For how the cap works, read Medicare Advantage maximum out-of-pocket limit explained.

Part B excess charges and Plan N math#

Original Medicare allows providers who do not accept assignment to bill up to 15% above the Medicare-approved amount. Those Part B excess charges hit Original Medicare beneficiaries without Medigap coverage that pays them. Plan G covers excess charges. Plan N does not.

State rules and whether your doctors accept assignment affect how often excess charges show up. When I compare Medigap letters for someone on Original Medicare, I look at whether any must-keep specialists could bill above Medicare's approved amount before choosing Plan N for a lower premium.

Advantage plans handle excess charges differently because providers contract with the network. Out-of-network PPO care may still surprise you. In-network contracted rates generally limit balance billing on covered services.

Compare your costs before choosing a plan#

If you have recent claims, use them. Count hospital stays, outpatient procedures, and specialists you see on repeat. Run both paths on Medicare Plan Finder for your home ZIP and add Part B premium to each column. That premium applies either way. Our Medicare guides hub, Medicare tools hub, and Medicare glossary can help with the rest of the vocabulary.

Deductibles are one slice of the bill. Part A can reset mid-year, so two people with similar health can still land on very different hospital costs in the same calendar year.

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Plan availability, networks, drug formularies, and benefits vary by county and year. For all options in your area, contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY: 1-877-486-2048).