Medicare Increase $1 In Price From The Past Three Years
The Obama administration cast the average monthly premium price increase as a matter of inches.
The Associated Press/Washington Post: Gov't.: Average Monthly Premium For Medicare Drug Plans Will Rise By $1 For 2012, To $31
The Obama administration says the average monthly premium for Medicare prescription drug plans will inch up by $1 next year, to $31. The increase comes after three stable years in which the average premium hovered around $30 a month (7/30).
USA Today: Medicare Premiums To Remain Stable In 2014
Medicare Part D premiums will average about $31 in 2014 — up from $30 for the past three years. The Part D deductible will fall from $325 to $310 in 2014. "There is continued very strong competition within the Part D plan," said Jonathan Blum, deputy administrator and director for the Center of Medicare. When the coverage gap program began, "there was lots of concern that filling in the doughnut hole would cause Part D costs to go up" (Kennedy, 7/30).