How To Get The Most Out Of Your MyMedicare Account
Tracking your Medicare account information by registering online should be just as important as getting the coverage itself. Maintaining an online account with Medicare not only gives you a way to store your information, but it also ensures you have easy access to all your information. If you have Medicare, I recommend that you also set up a MyMedicare.gov account.
Once you have enrolled in Medicare and received your unique ID number, make it a priority to create an online account at MyMedicare.gov. You cannot register without your unique ID, so be sure to have it with you when you sit down at your computer.
The registration process is simple, and you’ll have access to all of your Medicare information in a single place once you complete it. That means you won’t have to rely on a Medicare Summary Notice in the mail, and you can alleviate any confusion about what coverage you have. I also recommend checking the website to see whether you have met your Part B deductible for the year and reading through the site’s instructions on how to pay your Medicare premium if it’s not deducted from your Social Security check.
A very popular service associated with the site involves your Medicare ID card itself. Since the card is not laminated, it can go through a lot of wear and tear if you use it regularly for services at doctors’ offices, facilities and hospitals. If this happens to you, I recommend going to the website to print a temporary card and then request to receive a replacement card in the mail. You can also do this if you lose your card.
You can also use your online account to prevent confusion about your insurance plan. It is no secret that Medicare can be confusing. It is made up of so many parts that it is easy to feel uncertain about your coverage. Many times, I talk to a Medicare-eligible client who does not know what type of insurance coverage they have. Before meeting with your insurance agent, I recommend checking the type of coverage you have on the MyMedicare.gov website so your agent can better assist you.
Whether you have Part A, Part B, Part D, a Medigap supplement or a Medicare Advantage plan, you can use your online account to clearly understand what type of coverage you have. I recommend checking your coverage to keep yourself “in the know” about what your benefits cover and so you can easily respond to questions when they come up.
In addition to reviewing your plan information, I also recommend checking your online account to view new medical claims. Make sure to check what Medicare has approved and what they paid for each bill. You should also review how each claim impacts your deductible and whether you have reached it for the calendar year.
You should also review the list of the prescriptions you’ve filled throughout the year on the website. Use this list as a reference for what you are currently taking and what medications you need to refill. If your list is long, show MyMedicare.gov’s list to your medical professionals during your visits to save yourself a lot of time and energy when you have appointments.
You can also use the website to track the preventative care that you are eligible for on a month-to-month basis. Use this information to inform discussions with your doctor about which services you need and give yourself a head start on coordinating everything.
Other features of your online account that will help make it easier to manage your Medicare plan include the ability to pay your bills online or verify that your payments are being automatically deducted from your Social Security payment. I recommend that you also keep a list of your favorite doctors on the website so you do not have to go searching for names, addresses and phone numbers every time you need to see a specialist.
Perhaps the best part of having an online Medicare account is that you are giving yourself the ability to easily stay on top of your own healthcare coverage. This is not always easy, especially for individuals who recently left a job that provided health insurance. There are often far fewer options in that environment than with Medicare, and coverage is often packaged within a very specific plan. Medicare is different because it offers many different options. You really have a lot more moving parts to consider when you’re crafting a Medicare plan that works for your specific health needs.
As you can see, there are a lot of ways you can utilize a MyMedicare.gov account. You can use it to easily access your medical information, and I also recommend using it to regularly review your coverage and claims so you can react more quickly when something seems out of place. If you see any issues or gaps in coverage that you would like to discuss, the best thing to do is connect with your insurance agent. By taking these steps, you can better position yourself to discuss everything about your current situation and see if you need help modifying your coverage to better fit your needs.
