Each year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) set the following year’s Part B premium. In 2024, the Part B base premium is $174.70. Most people will pay this amount. A small number of people may pay a premium that is lower than the base premium in 2024. These people are protected by the hold harmless rule.

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If you live in New York, the Medicare Rights Center can help you enroll in various Medicare cost-savings programs. Please answer a few questions to see if we can connect you with a trained benefits enrollment counselor.

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If your monthly income is below $2355 (or below $3189 if married) you may qualify for several Medicare cost-savings benefit programs. The following information will help us determine which programs you might be eligible for.

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Contact your local State Health Insurance Assistance Program

Each state offers a SHIP, partly funded by the federal government, to give you free counseling and assistance. A SHIP counselor may be available by phone or in person.

Visit www.shiptacenter.org to find your local SHIP office.

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Contact your local State Health Insurance Assistance Program

Based on the information you provided, you do not appear to be eligible for Medicare cost-saving programs.

Each state offers a State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), partly funded by the federal government, to give you free counseling and assistance. A SHIP counselor may be available by phone or in person.

Visit www.shiptacenter.org to find your local SHIP office.

Find Your Local SHIP

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A trained counselor from the Medicare Rights Center will be in touch in the next 3-5 business days to discuss your options.

Click here to learn more about the various Medicare cost-savings programs.

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The hold harmless rule protects you from having your previous year’s Social Security benefit level reduced by an increase in the Part B premium so long as:

1. You were entitled to Social Security benefits for November and December in 2023;
2. The Medicare Part B premium will be or was deducted from your Social Security benefits in November 2023 through January 2024;
3. You do not already pay higher Part B premiums because of Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMAA) eligibility;
4. And, you do not receive a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) large enough to cover the increased premium. COLA is additional income given to Social Security recipients to protect against inflation decreasing the benefit’s purchasing power. The COLA in 2024 is 3.2% of your Social Security benefit.

The COLA in 2024 is likely to cover the full Part B premium for most people. If your COLA is large enough to cover the full amount of your increased premium, you will not be held harmless and your premium will be $174.70.

The hold harmless provision does NOT protect you if:

1. You are new to Medicare in 2024. Hold harmless does not apply to you because you have not been enrolled in Medicare Part B long enough to qualify.
2. You are subject to IRMAA.
3. You are enrolled in a Medicare Savings Program (MSP). However, the MSP should continue paying for your full Part B premium.
4. You were enrolled in a Medicare Savings Program in 2023 but lost the program because your income increased or you failed to recertify.

Note: If you qualify for the hold harmless provision but pay a Part B late enrollment penalty, the penalty will not be waived, and it may increase. This is because the penalty will be calculated based on the new, higher premium—even if you are not paying that higher amount.