When will CMS announce Medicare premium changes following the 2026 COLA and what are the key dates?
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Executive summary
CMS published the official 2026 Medicare Parts A, B and Part D figures on November 14, 2025 — announcing the Part B standard premium at $202.90 and the Part B deductible at $283 for 2026 (CMS fact sheet) [1]. The annual Medicare Open Enrollment window to pick or change Medicare Advantage and Part D plans ran October 15–December 7, 2025, with coverage changes taking effect January 1, 2026 (CMS and multiple reporting) [2] [3].
1. When CMS made the 2026 announcement — the concrete date
CMS released the 2026 premiums, deductibles and Part D income-related adjustment amounts on November 14, 2025, in a public factsheet detailing Parts A and B figures and related Part D data [1]. Multiple outlets and agency pages cite that November 14 CMS release as the basis for the published Part B premium and deductible numbers [1] [4].
2. What CMS announced on that date — the headline numbers
On November 14, 2025, CMS said the standard Medicare Part B monthly premium for 2026 would be $202.90 and the annual Part B deductible would be $283; CMS also published Part A inpatient deductible and other figures for 2026 in the same release [1] [4]. CMS and related federal fact sheets also released Part D bid parameters and the base Part D beneficiary premium for 2026 [5].
3. Why the timing matters: link to the COLA and Open Enrollment
CMS’s mid-November release came after the Social Security Administration’s COLA process concluded for 2026 — the 2026 COLA was set at 2.8% and the late-October COLA announcement fed into beneficiary planning — and it aligned with the Medicare Open Enrollment season, which runs October 15–December 7 and governs plan choices effective January 1 [6] [3]. Insurers and beneficiaries need CMS’s premium and benefit parameters during that Fall window to finalize plan offerings and beneficiary choices [2] [7].
4. The practical calendar beneficiaries should watch
Key dates reported by CMS and multiple Medicare guidance sites are: the SSA/COLA announcement in October (SSA used September CPI data, announced Oct. 24 in 2025) followed by CMS’s November 14 release of Medicare premiums, and the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period from October 15 to December 7, 2025, with any Open Enrollment changes effective January 1, 2026 [8] [1] [3]. For 2026 Part D technical bid info, CMS published preliminary bid information on July 28, 2025, earlier in the year to help plans prepare [5].
5. How CMS ties premium changes to policy actions — conflicting narratives
CMS explained the Part B premium increase was driven by projected price changes and utilization; the agency also said a separate rule change substantially reduced projected spending on “skin substitutes,” which lowered what the premium would otherwise have been by about $11 monthly [1]. News analysts and outlets repeated CMS’s framing that regulatory action reduced an otherwise larger increase [9] [10]. Other reporting emphasizes the net effect on beneficiaries — the premium hike still erodes much of the Social Security COLA for many recipients [11] [12].
6. Where reporting diverges — projected vs. final numbers and earlier forecasts
Some earlier projections and private-sector estimates suggested different Part B numbers for 2026 (for example, projections in October and articles citing higher estimates), but CMS’s November 14 fact sheet is the official, final federal figure that states actual premiums and deductibles for 2026 [13] [1]. Sources noting larger projected increases were reporting estimates and modeling rather than CMS’s final release [13].
7. What’s not in the available reporting
Available sources do not mention any alternate CMS release dates for premiums after November 14, 2025, nor do they report additional formal CMS premium updates beyond that factsheet for 2026 (not found in current reporting). If you need agency notices about appeals, IRMAA notices, or SSA communications to income‑affected beneficiaries, CMS and SSA materials cited here point to follow-up mailings later in the year but specifics beyond these releases are not detailed in the provided sources [14] [5].
8. Bottom line for readers planning for 2026
Treat November 14, 2025, as the federal government’s official publication date for 2026 Medicare Parts A/B and Part D parameters [1]. Use that date and the October 15–December 7, 2025 Open Enrollment window to compare plans and account for the announced Part B premium ($202.90) and deductible ($283) when assessing how much of the Social Security COLA will be absorbed by higher Medicare withholding [4] [1] [12].