Medicare premiums set to increase 13% next year

Bloomberg reports:

Medicare patients will pay 13 percent more out of their Social Security checks for premiums in 2006, the third consecutive rise of more than 10 percent, the U.S. government said Friday.

The increase, to $88.50 a month, means older Americans will be paying almost twice what they did in 2000 to cover visits to the doctor. The amount seniors pay out of pocket for hospital visits will rise 4.4 percent, to $952. The average Social Security benefit is $955 a month, and Medicare's chief actuary expects it to rise 3 percent next year.

The welfare state is getting rather expensive.