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Can I be assessed an Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMAA) for Medicare Part D if I am enrolled in a Medicare Advantage (MAPD) plan?

Category: IRMAA: Higher Incomes and Costs
Updated: Oct, 13 2023


Yes.  If you are a Medicare beneficiary and your annual income (MAGI) exceeds certain limits - and you are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan (HMO, PPO, or PFFS) that includes prescription drug coverage (MAPD), then your MAPD actually includes Medicare Part D drug coverage (along with Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B coverage) - and you can be charged an Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMAA) for both your Medicare Part D and Medicare Part B coverage.

In short, Medicare Part D IRMAA is assessed to anyone getting Part D coverage from a stand-alone Medicare Part D plan (PDP) -- Medicare Advantage plan that includes drug coverage (MAPD) -- or a Medicare Cost plan - even if this coverage is paid for by your employer, union, or retiree health plan.

Question:  Will I pay Part D IRMAA if my Medicare Advantage plan does not have drug coverage?

No.  If you are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan that does not include prescription drug coverage (MA) and you do not have any other Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage, then you will not be charged Medicare Part D IRMAA -- but you will still pay Medicare Part B IRMAA.

Question:  What if I am enrolled in an MAPD with a $0 premium?

Even if you are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan (MAPD) with a $0 premium - or a Medicare Advantage plan that returns or rebated a portion of your Part B premium, when your income exceeds the IRMAA limits (such as $103,000 for an individual for 2024), you will need to pay Medicare Part D IRMAA (and Medicare Part B IRMAA).


Question:  What is IRMAA and who pays IRMAA?

If you are a Medicare beneficiary who earns a higher income, the government will assess an Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMAA) that you must pay in addition to your Medicare Part B premium and your Medicare Part D premium (if you are enrolled in a Medicare prescription drug plan (PDP) or Medicare Advantage plan that includes prescription drug coverage (MAPD)).

IRMAA income limits can change each year and although they have remained relatively stable for the past several years, starting in 2020, the IRMAA income brackets are adjusted for inflation, therefore changing the amount of IRMAA many people will pay.  Here are links to IRMAA information for the past several years:

The 2024 IRMAA limits can be found online in our article: "2024 IRMAA: Slight increase in Medicare Part D IRMAA payments for some along with changes in the IRMAA brackets due to annual inflation adjustments."

The 2023 IRMAA limits can be found online in our article: "2023 IRMAA: Slight decrease in Medicare Part D IRMAA payments along with changes in the IRMAA brackets due to annual inflation adjustments."

The 2022 IRMAA limits can be found online in our article: "2022 IRMAA: Slight increase in Medicare Part D IRMAA payments for most along with changes in the IRMAA brackets due to annual inflation adjustments."

The 2021 IRMAA limits can be found online in our article: "2021 IRMAA: Slight increase in Medicare Part D IRMAA payments for most along with changes in the IRMAA brackets due to annual inflation adjustments. "

The 2020 IRMAA limits can be found online in our article: "2020 IRMAA: Slight Decrease in Medicare Part D IRMAA payments for most along with larger decreases for some as IRMAA brackets become annually inflation adjusted."

The 2019 IRMAA limits can be found online in our article: "2019 IRMAA: 5% decrease in Medicare Part D IRMAA for individual earning incomes between $85,000 - $500,000 and couples earning $170,000 - $750,000."

The 2018 IRMAA limits can be found online in our article: "2018 IRMAA: 35% to 58% Medicare Part D IRMAA payment increases for individual earning incomes between $133,500 - $214,000 and couples earning $267,000 - $428,000."

We have the 2017 IRMAA limits online here: "Roughly a 4.5% increase in the 2017 Income Related Monthly Adjustment Amounts (IRMAA) for Medicare beneficiaries with higher annual incomes"

And as reference, we also have the 2016 IRMAA limits online here: "Roughly a 3% increase in the 2016 Income Related Monthly Adjustment Amounts (IRMAA) for Medicare beneficiaries with higher annual incomes"


Determining whether IRMAA applies to you

You may also wish to read our FAQ: "Which tax returns does the Social Security Administration use to determine my Medicare Part B and Medicare Part D Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMAA)?"

For more information about your IRMAA (income-related monthly adjustment amount), you can visit www.ssa.gov/benefits/medicare/mediinfo.html, or call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778).

Question:  Do I have the right to appeal my IRMAA assessment?

Yes.  If the Social Security Administration has made an error and wrongly assessed you an IRMAA, you might consider appealing the IRMAA payments. We have information online about appealing IRMAA here: Q1FAQ.com/544

Question:  What happens if I do not pay my Part D IRMAA?

If you do not pay your Medicare Part D IRMAA, Medicare will notify your Medicare plan and your Part D plan can “involuntarily" disenroll you from your Medicare plan and you can be without prescription drug coverage for the remainder of the year unless you can use a Special Enrollment Period to join another Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage plan.

Also, if you lose your Medicare Part D coverage, you may accumulate a permanent late-enrollment premium penalty for every month that you are without some form of creditable prescription drug coverage.

You can read more about being disenrolled from your Medicare plan for failing to pay IRMAA:
Can I be disenrolled from my Medicare prescription drug plan if I refuse to pay my Medicare Part D IRMAA?





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