How much did Medicare's hospital deductible (one stay) cost?
Medicare's hospital deductible (one stay) cost $52.00 in 1970 and $1,676 in 2025: about 32 times as much.
Over the same years, prices in general (US inflation, measured by the consumer price index, CPI) rose about 8.3 times. That makes $52.00 in 1970 worth about $431 in 2025 money. So it got more expensive even after inflation: about 288% more, in real terms, than in 1970.
The biggest change between two listed years came between 1980 and 1985, when it went up 122%, from $180 to $400.
Medicare hospital deductible: price by year
| Year | Price | In 2025 dollars |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | $52.00 | $431 |
| 1975 | $92.00 | $550 |
| 1980 | $180 | $703 |
| 1985 | $400 | $1,200 |
| 1990 | $592 | $1,460 |
| 1995 | $716 | $1,510 |
| 2000 | $776 | $1,450 |
| 2005 | $912 | $1,500 |
| 2010 | $1,100 | $1,620 |
| 2015 | $1,260 | $1,710 |
| 2025 | $1,676 | $1,680 |
"In 2025 dollars" adjusts each amount for inflation with the CPI, so the years can be compared fairly. How this works.
Where the numbers come from
From the Social Security Administration's Annual Statistical Supplement and Medicare's official yearly figures (CMS).
Source: Annual Statistical Supplement, 2015, Table 2.C1: Medicare cost sharing and premium amounts, 1966-2016 (SSA), column 'Inpatient hospital deductible (IHD) covers first 60 days'; 2024-2025 from CMS fact sheet. View the source.
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