I AM ALREADY IN MEDICARE

Manage Your Medicare Account Online

Are you already enrolled in Medicare? If so, did you know that you can check your account online?
* If you have not registered with the Medicare website, you can access the Medicare registration page at the link below.
o My Medicare registration

* If you already registered with the Medicare website, you can access your account at the link below.
o My Medicare account log in

Choose/Change Your Medicare Plan

If you want to choose a new Medicare plan you can review you options and compare plans.
Note than you can change between Regular Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans at the beginning of each year, and you can select/change prescription drug plans at the end of each year.
Click here for information about Medicare plans in your area."

Billing Issues

If you are in Original Medicare, bills are processed by private companies known as Medicare Administrative Contractors, or MACs. If you are in a Medicare Advantage plan, your bills are handled by your plan directly.

If you have questions about your bill, you should first call the doctor, hospital, or other health care provider that treated you. You can also call the MAC in your state. Their telephone number should be at the top of your Medicare Summary Notice. If you suspect fraud, see section below.

If the MAC's telephone number is not on the Medicare Summary Notice, call Medicare at 1-800-633-4227 to get it. (TTY users call 1-877-486-2048).

You can also get contact information for your state MAC online. To get contacts for MACs in your state, members can click the link below. Scroll down the directory to find your state, and then select the MAC. Note that in some cases the MAC that handles Part A bills (hospital) may be different from the MAC than handles Part B bills and the MAC that handles bills for medical equipment. You can access the free MAC directory at the link below.
* Intermediary Carriers Directory

Billing For Equipment

Bills for approved medical equipment are handled somewhat differently than bills for hospital and doctor services. Only 4 MACs handle what Medicare calls “durable medical equipment.” Each handles a region of the country. You can find their region below and then click on the link if you need to contact them about a bill for medical equipment.
o South: Palmetto GBA
o West: Noridian
o Midwest: National Government Services
o Northeast: National Heritage/NHIC

Denied Medicare Benefits?

If you have been denied Medicare benefits, there is an appeals process. Learn more at the link below:
* Medicare Appeals and Grievances

Billing Fraud & Other Medicare Scams

Be wary of door-to-door salespeople. No one is authorized to come to your door uninvited with the purpose of selling you Medicare policies (including prescription drug coverage). Protect yourself by following these simple rules:

Do not reveal personal health or financial information. Legitimate companies who sell Medicare policies (including prescription drug policies) are not authorized to request personal information during marketing activities.
Always protect your Medicare number. Like your credit cards and bank accounts, your Medicare number is personal and should not be given to strangers.
Before you reveal personal information or sign a contract, confirm that the company is legitimate. Medicare has a list of approved companies, so it’s easy to confirm that the company and coverage you choose is legitimate before you sign up or reveal financial information. If a salesperson pressures you to sign up without giving you time to check, run the other way.

If you suspect fraud, contact your local police or the US Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. You can call them at 800-447-8477. You can also access them at the link below.

* HHS Inspector General website

You can also download the free booklet on preventing fraud. Just click the English or Spanish titles below.

* Protecting Medicare and You From Fraud
* ¡Pague lo Justo! Proteger a Medicare Contra el Fraude

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