Financial Tip of the Month: Ways you can now pay your Medicare Part A or B*

In the past there were only two ways to pay your Medicare Part A or B premium;

• Auto deduction from your monthly Social Security check.
• Billed quarterly by Medicare and you mail a check every three months.
• Finally, Medicare has gotten into the 21^st Century!

You now have options in which to pay your Part B premium;

• Pay through your bank’s online bill payment service.
• Sign up for Medicare Easy Pay. This is a free service that will auto deduct from your checking account each month.
• Pay by Check or Money Order to:
  Medicare Premium Collection Center:

P.O. Box 790355

St. Louis, MO 63179-0355

• Pay by Debit or Credit card. Complete the bottom portion of the payment coupon on your Medicare bill. You’ll need to provide the account information and expiration date as it appears on your card. Most credit cards today have only the month and year in expiration date field. If your credit card has only month and year in the expiration date, fill in the month and year on the payment coupon and leave the boxes for the day field blank. Mail your payment to the address above.
• If you are a Civil Service retiree you may have your premium deducted from your Civil Service annuity. To set this up send an email to: OPMMailbox@cms.hhs.gov.
• If you have limited income, remember you may qualify for assistance from our local Arizona Medicaid program called AHCCS. If you qualify, the Medicaid program may assist you in paying your Part B monthly premium and/or even assist with your co-payments for services and medications.

There are two phone numbers you can call for assistance with any questions. You can reach Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 or Center for Medicare or Center for Medicare Services at 1-800-633-4227.

*Information gathered from www.medicare.gov
“Ways to pay Part A & B premiums”.

(Previous published in the February 2016 Edition of the American Retirement Advisor Newsletter)