What Is Medicare Easy Pay?
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Have you ever wondered if you could get your Medicare premiums automatically deducted from your bank account each month? Less hassle, less administration?
Good news: You can do this with Medicare Easy Pay.
Medicare Easy Pay is a free service from the federal government that will deduct your Medicare payments from your bank account on a monthly basis.
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Who can sign up for Medicare Easy Pay?
You can set up Medicare Easy Pay if Medicare is sending you bills — that is, if you’re paying Medicare directly for your Part A or Part B premiums, or for your Part D income-related monthly adjustment amount (IRMAA).
Most people get their Medicare premiums deducted from their Social Security benefits, so they don’t need to sign up for Medicare Easy Pay.
If you’re getting bills from the Railroad Retirement Board, you cannot sign up for Medicare Easy Pay. You must pay the Railroad Retirement Board directly.
And note that if you’re paying for a separate Part D, Medigap or Medicare Advantage plan — which are plans sold by private insurers — you’ll pay premiums to the insurance company. These payments aren’t eligible for Medicare Easy Pay.
How do you sign up for Medicare Easy Pay?
There are two methods for setting up Medicare Easy Pay:
Log in to your Medicare.gov account. Don’t have one? You’ll need to create one. Then select “My Premiums” and “Sign Up” to access an online form.
Fill out a paper form. You’ll need to mail the form to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
What information do you need to sign up for Medicare Easy Pay?
If you’re signing up online: You’ll need your Medicare card and your bank account information.
If you’re signing up using a paper form: You’ll need your Medicare card and a blank check from your bank account, plus some general information about yourself. If you’re signing up to have payments deducted from a checking account, you’ll need to attach a blank, voided check to your form.
How long does it take to activate Medicare Easy Pay?
It can take six to eight weeks to process your information for Medicare Easy Pay. In the meantime, continue paying your premiums directly.
Once Medicare Easy Pay is active, your Medicare bill will say “THIS IS NOT A BILL” in the upper right corner, according to the CMS. (Here's a sample.) Your premiums typically will be deducted on the 20th of the month (or the next business day).
Your first deduction may be as much as three months of premiums, which is the Easy Pay limit. If you owe for more than three months, Easy Pay won't deduct automatically and you'll need to pay your Medicare premiums a different way until what you owe is within the three-month limit.
When your Medicare premiums change, the amount deducted from your account will update automatically.
What if there’s a problem with the payment?
If your premium can’t be deducted, Medicare will send you a letter explaining why it couldn’t deduct your premium. Then you’ll get your next Medicare bill in the mail, and you’ll need to pay the premium directly. Once you’ve caught up on payments, your Medicare Easy Pay service will resume. If it doesn’t, contact Medicare.
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