Medicare billing me for 3 months before I started - SSA says they need to fix it. Help!
I started Medicare in January, but when I got my bill, they're charging me for premiums starting back in October of last year. I called Medicare to fix this, but they told me I have to contact Social Security instead to get the start date corrected. Has anyone else dealt with this? It's frustrating being bounced around between agencies. Any advice on how to get this resolved quickly?
21 comments


GalaxyGuardian
Ugh, classic government runaround. I had a similar issue when I first signed up. Here's what worked for me: 1. Document everything. Write down who you talked to, when, and what they said. 2. Call SSA first thing in the morning when they open. Less wait time. 3. Be polite but firm. Explain the situation clearly. 4. If the first person can't help, ask to speak to a supervisor. 5. If all else fails, contact your local congressperson's office. They have liaisons who can cut through red tape. Good luck! The system is a mess, but persistence pays off.
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Aisha Abdullah
•This is solid advice 💯 Especially the part about calling your rep. They can work miracles sometimes!
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Ethan Wilson
•idk man, I've been trying for months and still no luck. The system is broken af 🤮
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GalaxyGuardian
•Sorry to hear that. Have you tried going to your local SSA office in person? Sometimes face-to-face works better.
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Ethan Wilson
•Nah, haven't tried that yet. Might give it a shot. thx for the tip
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Yuki Tanaka
I found a way to actually get someone on the phone. I used this site's (claimyr.com) calling tool that dials the phone menu, stays on hold, waits for a live agent to pick up, then sends the call to my phone. It does cost $20, but it works. Here's the link: https://www.claimyr.com
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Carmen Diaz
•Sounds sketchy. Is this legit? Anyone else tried it?
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Yuki Tanaka
•Totally legit. I was skeptical too, but it saved me hours of hold time. Worth every penny imo.
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Andre Laurent
•20 bucks to skip the hold? Sign me up! 🙌
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AstroAce
Have you checked your MySSA account online? Sometimes you can see more details there about your Medicare enrollment date.
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Zoe Kyriakidou
This happened to me too! Turns out there was a glitch in their system that was affecting a bunch of people who enrolled during the last quarter. Keep pushing, they'll eventually fix it.
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Mateo Rodriguez
•Really? That's good to know. Did they fix it automatically or did you have to keep calling?
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Zoe Kyriakidou
•I had to call a few times, but once I got to someone who knew about the glitch, they fixed it pretty quick.
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Jamal Brown
lol welcome to the wonderful world of Medicare 🤡 where nothing makes sense and the rules are made up
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Mei Zhang
•Ain't that the truth 😂 Sometimes I think they're just messing with us for fun
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Liam McConnell
Pro tip: If you're having trouble getting through on the phone, try faxing your request. Yes, fax. It's like time travel, but sometimes it actually works faster.
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Amara Oluwaseyi
•omg who even has a fax machine anymore? 😅
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Liam McConnell
•You'd be surprised! Or use an online fax service. Trust me, it's weirdly effective.
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CosmicCaptain
Have you considered that maybe you were actually eligible for Medicare earlier than you thought? Sometimes they backdate coverage if you were eligible but didn't sign up right away.
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Mateo Rodriguez
•I don't think so, but I'll double check. Thanks for the suggestion!
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Owen Devar
This is so frustrating! I'm dealing with something similar right now. When I called Medicare, they basically said "not our problem" and when I called SSA, they put me on hold for 2 hours before disconnecting. Has anyone tried filing a complaint with Medicare directly? I'm wondering if that might light a fire under them to actually coordinate with SSA properly. It's ridiculous that we have to be the middleman between two government agencies that should be talking to each other!
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