How much did Medicare Part B's yearly deductible cost?
Medicare Part B's yearly deductible cost $50.00 in 1970 and $257 in 2025: about 5.1 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 $50.00 in 1970 worth about $415 in 2025 money. So, after inflation, it is cheaper than in 1970: about 38% less in real terms.
The biggest change between two listed years came between 2015 and 2025, when it went up 75%, from $147 to $257.
Medicare Part B deductible: price by year
| Year | Price | In 2025 dollars |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | $50.00 | $415 |
| 1975 | $60.00 | $359 |
| 1980 | $60.00 | $234 |
| 1985 | $75.00 | $224 |
| 1990 | $75.00 | $185 |
| 1995 | $100 | $211 |
| 2000 | $100 | $187 |
| 2005 | $110 | $181 |
| 2010 | $155 | $229 |
| 2015 | $147 | $200 |
| 2025 | $257 | $257 |
"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: Social Security Administration; CMS: Annual Statistical Supplement, 2015, Table 2.C1: Medicare cost sharing and premium amounts, 1966-2016 (SSA), column 'Annual deductible' (SMI); 2024-2025 from CMS fact sheet. View the source.
Think you'd have guessed it? Play today's Daily 5