What Is Medicare Easy Pay?

Medicare Easy Pay is a convenient and free online system you can use to pay your monthly premiums. Now, the biggest question you may have is why you would use Medicare Easy Pay if your premiums are deducted from your Social Security benefits.

The payment system is mainly for people aged 65 and up who aren’t drawing from Social Security benefits yet.

In this post, we’ll guide you through how Medicare Easy Pay works for a seamless experience with your monthly premium payments.

Key takeaways:

Medicare Easy Pay is an online system operated by Medicare.gov that you can use to set up recurring payments for your monthly premiums.
You can only set up monthly payments for your Part A and Part B premiums and IRMAA charges.
For Medicare Supplement, Part D, and Medicare Advantage premiums, you’ll have to use your insurance provider’s online system to set up automatic payments.
The most convenient way to sign up for Medicare Easy Pay is by creating and logging in to your Medicare account. From here, select “My Premiums” from the dropdown menu and then “Pay Now.”
It can take 6 to 8 weeks for automatic deductions to start with Medicare Easy Pay. In the meantime, you’ll have to pay your premiums using a different method.

Medicare Easy Pay: Set up recurring payments

Setting up Medicare Easy Pay to automatically pay your premiums is relatively straightforward. The system works similarly to any other automatic payment system. Once you sign up for the service, Medicare will automatically deduct your premiums from your checking or savings account every month.

There are a couple things to remember about using Medicare Easy Pay.

First, Medicare will only deduct premiums from your bank account. You can’t use this system to pay any out-of-pocket healthcare costs like deductibles, copays, and coinsurance.

Second, Medicare Easy Pay can only be used to pay for Part A premiums, Part B premiums, and IRMAA charges. Certain parts of your Medicare coverage—Medicare Supplement plans, Part D plans, and Medicare Advantage plans—are provided by private insurance companies. For these premiums, you’ll have to pay your health insurance provider directly and cannot use Medicare Easy Pay.

Who can use Medicare Easy Pay?

In some cases, it won’t make sense for you to set up Medicare Easy Pay. Some people aged 65 and up choose to delay retirement, but still enroll in Medicare. Medicare Easy Pay is primarily for Medicare beneficiaries who aren’t drawing from their Social Security benefits. Medicare collects Part A and Part B premiums and any IRMAA costs from your Social Security benefits once you begin receiving them.

If you are eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), your Medicare premium payments will draw from your disability benefits automatically after 24 months.

Which Medicare premiums can you not pay with Medicare Easy Pay?

You can’t use Medicare Easy Pay to pay any of the following plan premiums:

Medigap
Part D
Medicare Advantage premiums

That’s because these plans are run by private health insurance companies that would have their own online payment systems. You can, however, use your insurance company’s online system to set up recurring payments for more convenience.

How to sign up for Medicare Easy Pay

There are two ways you can sign up for Medicare Easy Pay. For the first way, you can create and log into your Medicare account. From there, select “My Premiums” and “Sign Up” to start the process using a short, online form.

If you prefer to sign up for Medicare Easy Pay through mail, you can fill out, print, and send a mail paper form in English or in Spanish.

Don’t worry if you don’t see deductions from your bank account automatically. It can take up to 6-8 weeks for automatic payments to start. In the meantime, you’ll have to pay your premiums another way. Here are the two most convenient ways to pay without Medicare Easy Pay:

Pay online through your Medicare account—select “My Premiums” from the dropdown menu and then “Pay Now.”
Mail your premium payment to Medicare directly. If you receive a bill in the mail, use the materials to send back payment through check, money order, credit card, or debit card.

Once Medicare Easy Pay starts, you’ll get a monthly statement from Medicare to confirm the deduction. You can expect payments to occur on the 20th of each month (or the next business day), and your bank statement will read “CMS Medicare Premiums.”

Does Medicare Easy Pay stop automatically when Social Security starts?

Yes, Medicare Easy Pay stops automatically when your Social Security benefits kick in. Medicare will then automatically deduct premiums from your retirement benefits rather than your bank account. Make sure you confirm this action on your Medicare online account. If you log in to your online account, your profile should say “Your premiums are deducted from your Social Security benefit” under “How you pay.”

How to stop Medicare Easy Pay

Stopping payments through Medicare Easy Pay is similar to starting the process. Log in to your Medicare account, click “My Premiums,” and then select “See or change my Medicare Easy Pay” to begin. You can change the bank account where the payments are deducted from this way as well.

You also have the option to fill out and mail a paper form. Print, fill out, and send completed forms in English or in Spanish to:

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Medicare Premium Collection Center

P.O. Box 979098

St. Louis, MO 63197-9000

Troubleshooting Medicare Easy Pay

On the off chance that there’s an issue with Medicare Easy Pay, Medicare will send you a letter explaining what the problem may be (issues with your bank account, for example). Call Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048) if you have any concerns.

What Is Medicare Easy Pay?