How Do I Pay My Medicare Premiums?

You’ll have several options when it comes to paying your Medicare premiums, depending on which Medicare plans you’re enrolled in and whether or not you’re receiving benefits from Social Security.

It’s important to keep track of which plans you’re enrolled in so you can make sure to pay all your insurance premiums. Forgetting a premium payment will cause you to lose coverage.

Paying for Original Medicare

Everyone starts their Medicare journey by enrolling in Original Medicare, which consists of Part A and Part B. Most folks receive premium-free Part A. You’ll fall into this category as long as you or your spouse has worked (and paid taxes) for at least ten years (40 quarters). If you haven’t met that requirement, your premium will be based on the number of quarters you have acquired. If you have at least 30 quarters, your premium is $278 in 2023. Any less than that, and you’ll pay the full monthly cost of $506. 

Part B has a standard premium of $164.90 this year (2023). If you qualify for financial assistance, you could pay less. On the other hand, if you have a higher income, you could pay more. The standard premium is what a majority of beneficiaries pay.

The federal Medicare program will bill you for the Part A and Part B premiums. You can pay electronically or by mail. Let’s take a closer look at this process.

If you’re already receiving Social Security or Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) benefits, your Part A and Part B premiums will be automatically deducted from the check you receive each month. You won’t receive a bill in this case. However, if you aren’t taking benefits yet, you’ll get a quarterly invoice. You have four ways to pay the bill.

Online with Your Medicare Account

If you like paying bills online, you can set up an account at Medicare.gov and pay your premiums from there. Here, you’ll be able to pay by debit or credit card or even electronic funds transfer (EFT) from your checking or savings account.

Once you’re logged in, find the My premiums tab under your name’s dropdown menu. Select Pay Now and choose your payment method. You’ll be directed to the U.S. Treasury’s secure payment site, Pay.gov, to complete the transaction. Save a copy of the confirmation number just in case there are issues with the payment.

Medicare’s Easy Pay

If you prefer to have your payments set up as an automatic debit, use Medicare Easy Pay. Use the account you created at Medicare.gov. After selecting My premiums, click Sign up and fill out a short form. (You can also fill out a paper form and mail it in.) It can take six to eight weeks for the process to finalize, so you may have to pay your Medicare premiums using another method until then. 

You’ll get a monthly statement showing that your Easy Pay deduction is scheduled. Your bank will be drafted on the 20th of the month or the following business day.  

Direct Bank Draft

If your bank has an online bill payment service, you can set up direct payments from your checking or savings account. Your bank will need the following:

• Your Medicare ID number (without dashes)
  The payee name: CMS Medicare Insurance
  The payee address: Medicare Premium Collection Center, P.O. Box 790355, St. Louis, MO 63179-0355

Mail Your Payment

Lastly, you can pay your premiums with a check, debit or credit card, or money order. A payment coupon will be attached to your invoice, which you can fill out and return. Be sure to write your Medicare ID number on your payment. Mail the payment to:

Medicare Premium Collection Center
P.O. Box 790355
St. Louis, MO 63179-0355

Other Medicare Premiums

Don’t forget; you might have other premiums to pay as well. This could include (but is not limited to) a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plan, a Medicare Advantage plan, and a Part D prescription drug plan.

Of these, Medicare Advantage and Part D plans can be taken from your Social Security benefits. However, Medicare Supplement plans cannot.