Contributor ⭐

Why is my first Medicare Part B premium twice its normal amount?

7 replies
13300 views

I applied for Medicare part B during the last week of December to presumably begin in January.

The SS website says my Medicare premium should be $174.60 but the check I just got has a medicare deduction of $339.60. I have no Part C or D with medicare.

Would I be correct in assuming that the reason the premium is this big this month is because I was billed for both January and February and that starting next month the premium will revert to the $174.60 amount?

This topic has been closed for replies.

G

GailL1

@Jay968

It appears from the info you gave - the amounts add up to represent this:

1. Your Medicare benefits began in 12/2023 - your Part B Medicare card should reflex an effective date of 12/01/2023. So you are being billed (deducted from your SS benefit amount) a Part B premium for December 2023 at the 2023 rate (for most people) of $ 164.90.

2. Then you have to also pay for the January 2024 Medicare Part B premium which the rate for 2024 for most people is $ 174.70.

That gets you to the deducted amount of $ 339.60. ( $ 164.90 + $ 174.70 )

Going forward the Part B premium deduction for 2024 (for most people) will be $ 174.70 per month -

You just had to catch up that December 2023 premium with this 1st SS check.

J

Jay968Author

Contributor ⭐

Aren't medicare premiums billed a month before?

I was not on Medicare part B in December, so I should not have been billed for that month.

I filled out the application in December but was not billed for January in December.

I am assuming this double bill now is for January (which would have normally been billed in December) and for February (on time).

Does this make sense?

G

GailL1

@Jay968

If you had any medical stuff done in 12/2023 that is covered by Medicare Part B - file a Medicare claim. It may even reimburse you for any (some) out of pocket cost if you had other insurance or not

cat0w

Conversationalist ⭐⭐⭐

@Jay968

Have you checked the Medicare site and if needed set up an account and ask your question there?

Welcome to Medicare | Medicare

J

Jay968Author

Contributor ⭐

Of course. That's the first thing I did.

Let me say this though. I have found, after going to the Medicare site several times in the past 2 months that it has to be one of the most useless sites on the internet. I have never once gotten anyone willing to answer a question, nor show any attempt whatsoever to help out. No matter what the question, they just want you to go to some other place to pose the question. With this particular situation, they told me to go to social security with this question. That in itself is an almost impossible task unless one is willing to wait on hold for several hours in order to talk with anyone, and they have no means of communicating with them through their website.

This is your fax dollars at work.

So, I thought I'd just come here and see if anyone had an answer.

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