Medicare cost planning
Use this checklist to collect the information needed to compare coverage.
Medicare cost planning checklist
The numerical estimator is unavailable. This checklist does not calculate a premium, deductible, or total cost. Use current official rates and your own plan documents to compare your options.
- Choose your coverage path. Compare Original Medicare (Parts A and B), with any separate drug plan or Medigap policy, against Medicare Advantage (Part C). Medigap supplements Original Medicare; it does not pay the cost sharing of an Advantage plan.
- Check premiums. Confirm whether you owe a Part A premium and check your Part B notice. Include any applicable plan premium and late-enrollment penalty. Part B and Part D can each have an income-related monthly adjustment amount (IRMAA); the amount depends on the applicable year, income, and filing status.
- Check cost sharing. Use your expected covered services, benefit periods, and plan documents to identify deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance. Do not assume you will incur a full deductible if you do not use enough applicable services.
- Compare prescriptions and providers. Check your medications, pharmacies, provider network, and the plan’s current-year costs. Separate plan premiums and out-of-pocket limits can change.
Medicare.gov: current Medicare costs · Compare Medicare plans
CMS 2025 premiums and deductibles (historical figures, not current rates)
Why there is no estimate
The former calculator used historical rates and assumptions that could misstate your costs. It has been suspended rather than presenting a misleading total. The checklist does not take personal information or calculate amounts. See our methodology and sources.
What to check about IRMAA
Social Security determines whether an income-related monthly adjustment applies to Part B and, separately, Part D. Thresholds depend on the year and tax filing status; Part D adjustments are in addition to a plan premium. Check your Social Security notice and the current Medicare cost information rather than relying on a generic income threshold.