How much did a month of Medicare Part B (standard premium) cost?
A month of Medicare Part B (standard premium) cost $15.50 in 1985 and $185 in 2025: about 12 times as much.
Over the same years, prices in general (US inflation, measured by the consumer price index, CPI) rose about 3 times. That makes $15.50 in 1985 worth about $46.37 in 2025 money. So it got more expensive even after inflation: about 299% more, in real terms, than in 1985.
The biggest change between two listed years came between 1985 and 1990, when it went up 85%, from $15.50 to $28.60.
Medicare Part B premium: price by year
| Year | Price | In 2025 dollars |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | $15.50 | $46.37 |
| 1990 | $28.60 | $70.44 |
| 1995 | $46.10 | $97.37 |
| 2000 | $45.50 | $85.05 |
| 2005 | $78.20 | $129 |
| 2015 | $104.90 | $142 |
| 2025 | $185 | $185 |
"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); 2024-2025 from CMS fact sheet '2025 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles'. View the source.
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