By Ron Bird

Every year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) publishes updates to Medicare’s deductibles and copays for the following year.

CMS recently released the changes for 2019 and there are some that are noteworthy if you are on Medicare.

Medicare consists of two parts, A and B. Part A is the hospital coverage and Part B is the doctor coverage. The Part B deductible will be going to $185 next year from the $183 this year. The majority of the changes apply to the Part A side of Medicare.

Part A deductible is going from $1,340 to $1,364. Additionally, the copay for hospital stays is increasing.

In days 61-90 of a hospital stay, the daily copay is going from $335 to $341 and in days 91-150 of the stay the daily copay is increasing from $670 to $682.

The income-related Part B premiums will vary depending on the portion of your income that exceeds $85,000, or $170,000 for a married couple. For most people, they will be paying the standard premium of $135.50 for 2019. That amount has increased from the $134 from this year.

As you can see, there are quite a few out-of-pocket expenses that can add up quick with Medicare. If you don’t have a supplement plan or some other type of coverage to cover these costs, you are leaving yourself exposed to financial risk if something should happen to you.

Speak to your local insurance professional to help you compare and show you what plans are available and help you decide which plans are best for you.

On behalf of myself and all of us here at Financial Concepts, we would like to wish everyone a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Andrew Bird, an agent at Financial Concepts in Mesquite, specializes in Medicare and Insurance services. Andrew Bird can be reached at 702-346-7025 or by email at Abird@fcimesquite.com