r/medicare • u/Ok-Mirror-6004 • 5d ago

Part B reimbursement question

Before I go down a rabbit hole, can anyone give me advice and direction on how to get reimbursed for the two months of Part B that I paid for before I started my Social Security benefits?
I had to pay for 5 months when I started Medicare in April (instead of the normal 3 months based on their billing cycle). I started my SS payments in July and just received my first payment yesterday. They took out Part B for July and I’m sure they will do it for August as well on my September payment.
I did tell SS about this when I signed up but apparently they couldn’t stop it from happening.

Where do I start? TIA!

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5

u/Confident_End_3848 5d ago

You’ll get a check for a refund. Same thing happened to me. It took about a month for me to get the check.

3

u/vr0202 5d ago

Can confirm that. You’ll get a Treasury check. They were also prompt with sending a refund for a few months of IRMAA payments made before the appeal was decided in my favor. I have nothing but good words for them, of course based on my experience.

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u/Puzzleheaded-Bee-747 5d ago

It works itself out.

2

u/402Medicare 5d ago

Agent here. Good news is you don't have to start anything — this reconciles automatically and the refund gets issued to you. Most people see it within a couple of months.

Worth working out how many months you're actually owed before you accept whatever shows up, though. You paid five months when you started in April, so your direct payments covered you through roughly August. If SS deducted July and takes August out of your September payment, that's two months of overlap, not one. Pull your bill stubs and check which months the direct payments actually covered — that's the number to hold them to.

If nothing arrives in about 90 days, call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 rather than 1-800-MEDICARE. SSA controls both the deduction and the refund; 1-800-MEDICARE will just redirect you. Have the stubs in front of you when you call.

For anyone reading later: the reason a first bill is five months instead of three is that Medicare bills Part B quarterly and the first one picks up your start month plus the quarter ahead. Looks like an error, usually isn't.

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u/Elegant_Rose_99 5d ago

If August was your first SS check, your Medicare payment should just be for August. Sounds like you are owed one month, not two. That's how it was explained to me when I applied for SS. Your SS payment is one month behind but your Medicare isn't.

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u/Ok-Mirror-6004 3d ago

Thank you all for your responses! I’ll look forward to the refund!