Most Medicare enrollees do not pay a monthly Part A premium, because they (or a spouse) have had 40 or more quarters in which they paid Federal Insurance Contributions Act taxes. Medicare-eligible persons who do not have 40 or more quarters of Medicare-covered employment may purchase Part A for a monthly premium of: $254.00 per month for those with 30-39 quarters of Medicare-covered employment, or $461.00 per month for those with less than 30 quarters of Medicare-covered employment and who are not otherwise eligible for premium-free Part A coverage.

       All Medicare Part B enrollees pay an insurance premium for this coverage; the standard Part B premium for 2010 is $110.50 per month. The Medicare Part B premium for most retirees in 2010 however will remain at $96.40 per month if premiums are deducted by Social Security due to the zero percent increase in benefits for 2010. A new income-based premium schema has been in effect since 2007, wherein Part B premiums are higher for beneficiaries with incomes exceeding $85,000 for individuals or $170,000 for married couples. Depending on the extent to which beneficiary earnings exceed the base income, these higher Part B premiums are $154.70, $221.90, $287.30, or $353.60, with the highest premium paid by individuals earning more than $214,000, or married couples earning more than $428,000.