Medicare premium payment verification for BCBS $800 reimbursement - SS shows $0 payments

oh man, ive been there! the Medicare/SS runaround is the WORST. I had same issue last yr trying to get proof for my employer. ended up having to get a "Proof of Income Letter" from SS that showed the Medicare premiums. but took like 3 visits to actually get someone who knew what they were doing lol

What you need is a BPQY (Benefits Planning Query) from Social Security. This document shows all your benefits information including Medicare premium payment details. When you go to your appointment, specifically request this document - it's the most comprehensive verification they offer. Also, bring a copy of the BCBS reimbursement form requirements so you can show exactly what documentation you need. The SSA staff can then tailor their response to meet those specific requirements. Finally, if you have any previous Medicare premium bills or receipts, bring those as evidence of what you've been paying. Sometimes seeing the physical documents helps the SSA representative understand exactly what you're trying to verify.

I went thru this EXACT nightmare scenario last month!!! Called SS 5 TIMES and got disconnected or put on hold forever. Finally got someone who told me they couldn't help?!?! Medicare kept sending me back to SS just like you said. Ended up using this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a real SS agent in about 20 mins instead of waiting on hold for hours. They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU The SS agent I finally talked to said I needed a "Medicare Premium Payment History" document that only certain reps can generate. Got it emailed to me within a day after talking to the right person. BCBS accepted it no problem. Good luck!

I process these BCBS reimbursement requests professionally and can help clarify. What you need is officially called a "Medicare Premium Payment Detail Summary" from SSA. Most SS offices can provide this same-day if you have proper ID. Alternatively, you can request your "Proof of Income Letter" (also called Budget Letter) through your MySocialSecurity account online. Go to "Message Center" then "Get a Letter" and select "Proof of Income Letter." This should show your Medicare premium deduction information. If both approaches fail, BCBS will typically accept a combination of: 1. Your Medicare bill showing the premium amount 2. Bank statements showing payments to CMS/Medicare 3. A signed statement explaining your payment arrangement Let me know if you need more specific guidance.

The SSA and Medicare systems are DELIBERATELY designed to be confusing and prevent people from claiming benefits they're entitled to!!! I've been fighting with them for 2 years over premium issues. They keep "losing" my paperwork and giving contradictory information. Don't expect your appointment to fix anything - bring a recorder and document EVERYTHING. They'll probably tell you they need to "research" and never call back. This is how the system works - frustrate people until they give up claiming what they're owed! Sorry for the negativity but I don't want you to get your hopes up like I did.

My husband had similar issue. its confusing because when medicare premium is more than ur SS benefit, the billing gets weird. we brought our bank statements showing the payments to medicare and a printout from mymedicare.gov account showing enrollment. BCBS accepted those instead of SS verification. might be worth trying that approach if SS keeps giving u runaround.

Quick update suggestion: When you go to your appointment, ask to speak with a Technical Expert (TE) or Claims Specialist rather than a Service Representative if possible. The TEs have more specialized knowledge about Medicare premium documentation and can access additional systems. Also, specifically mention IRMAA (Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount) in your conversation - even if it doesn't apply to you. This often triggers a more detailed look into your Medicare premium payment structure, which can help identify the proper documentation path. Finally, if your appointment doesn't resolve this, call the dedicated Medicare Premium Billing line at 1-800-772-1213 and select the Medicare premium payment options when prompted.

im just curious why ur ss benefit is so low? did u work somewhere with a pension that had the WEP reduction? my aunts ss is tiny because of her government pension

Update after my SS office visit: Success! Following everyone's advice, I asked specifically for a Technical Expert and requested both the "Medicare Premium Payment Detail Summary" and a BPQY. The specialist knew exactly what I needed for BCBS and printed out a document called "Medicare Premium Notice Detail" that shows all my premium payments even though they don't appear on my regular Social Security statement. She explained that when your SS benefit is less than your Medicare premium, the payment history shows differently in their system. Apparently, it's a common issue for retirees with WEP/GPO reductions. BCBS confirmed they'll accept this document for the reimbursement! Thank you all for your helpful suggestions - couldn't have done it without this community's advice!

This is such valuable information! I'm bookmarking this thread for future reference. It's really helpful that you specified the exact document name "Medicare Premium Notice Detail" - I bet that will save other people a lot of time and frustration. The explanation about how WEP/GPO affects the payment display in their system is eye-opening too. Congrats on getting your BCBS reimbursement sorted out!

This is exactly the kind of detailed, helpful thread that makes this community so valuable! I'm dealing with a similar Medicare premium verification issue for my employer's health savings account reimbursement. Like you, my SS benefit is reduced (in my case due to early retirement at 62), and I've been getting the runaround from both Medicare and SS about documentation. Reading through everyone's suggestions - especially the specific document names like "Medicare Premium Notice Detail" and asking for a Technical Expert - gives me a clear roadmap for my own situation. It's frustrating how these systems seem designed to make everything as confusing as possible, but threads like this really help navigate the bureaucracy. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and especially to Ezra for following up with the successful resolution. This is going straight into my bookmarks for reference!