The one-time payment comes as premiums are projected to keep climbing in the years ahead.
NEW YORK —
President Donald Trump’s one-time $90 Medicare Part B Premium rebate officially rolled out Thursday. Around 20.8 million enrollees are said to benefit from the premium rebate.
According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, most beneficiaries will receive a direct payment of $90 on or around October 8, 2026.
Some beneficiaries will receive a paper check for $90 from the U.S. Department of the Treasury later in October.
Who will receive the $90?
Eligible Medicare beneficiaries include those originally in Medicare part B who are:
Living in the United StatesNot receiving premium assistance from Medicaid;Or not paying an Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount.
Beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Advantage, who make up more than half of all Medicare recipients, are not eligible.
How much of a dent will $90 make for Part B Premiums?
Each year, the government sets Medicare’s Premiums, deductibles and coinsurance rates. In 2026, the Medicare Part B Premium is $202.90 a month, or $2,434.80 for the year.
The 2026 Medicare Trustees Report projects that the annual premium will rise by $79.20 in 2027, bringing the total to $2,514. The administration’s proposed one-time $90 payment could help offset that increase for one year.
But KFF, a nonprofit health policy research group, said the one-time payment may not go far in offsetting rising costs for healthcare.
Medicare part B Premiums have been growing fast in recent years. The standard monthly premium rose 9.7% in 2026, the second-largest increase in the program’s history.
Medicare Part B Premium rates saw the steepest year-over-year increase in 2022, when monthly rates rose 14.5% from $148.50 the previous year to $170.10. The federal government said that increase had to do with the COVID pandemic and uncertainty over a pricey and controversial new Alzheimer’s drug, according to a CNN report. Premium rates were rolled back by $5.20 the following year, but have risen steadily since then.
The 2026 Medicare Trustees Report now projects Medicare Part B Premiums will rise by 6% to 7% annually for the next seven years.
Medicare premiums have increased at a far faster rate than inflation and Social Security’s annual cost-of-living adjustments or COLA.
While the COLA does not directly affect Medicare plan pricing, the increase will be outweighed by rising premiums.