If you received a notice that your Medicare premiums will increase because of high income in the past, you might be wondering, “Can I appeal to reduce the premiums?”
If you have a Life Changing Event, you might be able to!
This page is a summary of the process, but please go to www.medicaremindset.com/irmaa for detailed instructions on how to file the appeal, as well as the form to complete.
When you enroll in Medicare, the premium you pay is based on your income from nearly ALL sources. That’s everything in your Adjusted Gross Income plus Tax-Exempt Interest. Typically, Medicare looks back at your tax return from two years ago to determine your monthly premiums.
See the table below for the 2024 Medicare premiums, based on your 2022 tax return:
As the table shows below, it’s all based on how much you earned in the past. But your income might have dropped since two years ago. Your past income can be ignored when you have a reduction of income, due to a life changing event. A reduction of income, due to a Work Stoppage or Work Reduction, are the most common Life Changing Events (LCEs) you can potentially use to lower your Medicare premiums NOW.
Above: 2024 Medicare Premiums
The other LCEs are Marriage, Divorce/Annulment, Death of Your Spouse, Loss of Income-Producing Property, Loss of Pension Income, and Employer Settlement Payment.
:: NOTE — Simply having a high income year 2 years ago and then a reduction of income in recent years won’t allow you to appeal. You also need to have one of the Life Changing Events in the past few years for this to work. ::
When you receive your Initial IRMAA Determination letter in the mail about your Medicare premiums being higher than normal, this is when you can take action and file an appeal/request for reconsideration.
So how do you file the life changing event appeal? You will use Form SSA-44 (Medicare Income Related Monthly Adjustment Amount – Life Changing Event). Complete the required information on the form and submit to a local Social Security office.
:: NOTE — If you are married and both of you are enrolled in Medicare Part B, you EACH need to complete the appeal form ::
Go to our website at www.medicaremindset.com/irmaa for more detailed instructions, as well as to download the appeal form.
Reference Links
www.medicare.gov
Initial IRMAA Determination Letter
Form SSA-44
www.medicaremindset.com/irmaa
Neither Medicare Mindset LLC nor its agents are connected with the Federal Medicare program.
