You are probably not being charged for Medicare Part D IRMAA, but rather only Medicare Part
B IRMAA.
Income-Related Monthly Adjustments Amounts (
IRMAA) are additional amounts of money charged
to Medicare beneficiaries who have annual income (modified adjusted gross income (MAGI)) over certain limits.
The IRMAA charges are then paid in addition to both Medicare Part B and Medicare Part D
premiums.
You can see the annual changes in
IRMAA limits in our Q1Medicare News section.
However, Part D
IRMAA will not be charged if you are not enrolled in a Medicare Part D plan - but, you will still
need to pay your Medicare Part B IRMAA.
As noted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS):
"If an
individual does not have or no longer has Medicare prescription drug
coverage, they shouldn’t be charged the Part D-IRMAA." However, the CMS memo does continue on to note that "if someone didn’t
pay the Part D-IRMAA that was owed before disenrolling from their
prescription drug coverage, they are responsible for the past due
amount."
(Source: Part D-Income Related Monthly Adjustment Amount—Frequently
Asked Questions & Answers, from Anthony Culotta, Director Medicare
Enrollment & Appeals Group, December 10, 2010)
2024 Example of IRMAA without drug coverage: "I have VA drug
benefits and no Part D plan, so why am I being charged $69.90 for
IRMAA?"
You are paying only Part B IRMAA. Using this 2024 example, the
Medicare
Part B IRMAA is $69.90 for couples who earn between $206,000 up to $258,000
annually or individuals who earn $103,000 up to $129,000.
During the same year, the
Medicare
Part D IRMAA is $12.90 for the same income brackets (couples who earn between $206,000 up to $258,000
annually or individuals who earn $103,000 up to $129,000).
Since this person was assessed $69.90, and does not have a Medicare Part
D prescription drug plan, they are only being charged for their Part B
IRMAA.
You can read more about
2024 IRMAA payments 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.