Texas Medicare - Frequently Asked Questions

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What does the Primary Insurance status represent?

Answer
Sometimes, you may have other insurance that pays your health care bills first, while Medicare pays second.  Medicare is the secondary payer when the following insurance is available:  Auto Insurance, Homeowners Insurance, Commercial Insurance Plans, Group Health Plans under certain conditions, Black Lung Benefits and Worker’s Compensation.  If the Primary Insurance section is not listed on the “My Health & Drug Plans” page, Medicare is your primary insurance.

How do I login for the first time?

Answer
After you successfully register and get your welcome letter in the mail, you can log into the Medicare Beneficiary Portal.  You must type your Medicare Number and your one-time password in the appropriate fields and click the “Login” button.  Follow these tips to successfully login to MyMedicare.gov:

1. Make sure you have the welcome letter containing your password.  After you registered online, CMS mailed this letter to you.  You should have received the letter within 14 days of registration.
   
   
2. Type in your Medicare number (without the dashes) as it appears on your red, white and blue Medicare card.  This number is sometimes called your Medicare Health Insurance Claim Number.  It contains letters and numbers.
   
   
3. Be sure to type your one-time password in exactly as it appears in your welcome letter.  Your password will have upper and/or lower case alphabetic characters and numbers.  To protect your security, you won’t be able to change your password until you have successfully logged in.
   
   
4. Make sure the Caps Lock button on your computer keyboard is NOT turned on.  This button is on the left side of your keyboard above the shift key.  You will know it is turned off when the Caps Lock light on the right side of the keyboard above the number keypad is not lit.
   
   
5. Click on the “Login” button.  After you have entered your Medicare Number and password, make sure to click the “Login” button to submit your login request.

I have Medicare and am a member of a health plan that is offering me a PHR.  What if I don’t want to use a PHR?

Answer
If your health plan offers you a PHR, you do not have to use it, since it is an optional voluntary benefit from your health plan.  However, you may wish to look at the PHR to learn about the information it can give you about your health as well as interesting health related education and resources.  CMS believes that if you have your own PHR, it could help you better understand and manage your health and medical care.  You might find information on how to better take care of yourself, and to be able to share your health information more easily with all of your providers.

Will Medicare be able to see the information in my Personal Health Record (PHR)?

Answer
No.  Medicare will not have any access to your PHR.  You may be able to allow your providers to view or even enter information in your PHR, or you can enter new information yourself.  Your health plan will tell you how to let others view the information in your PHR with appropriate security.

Can anyone call 1-800-MEDICARE on my behalf and obtain claims information for me?

Answer
A user cannot contact 1-800-MEDICARE to obtain information about claims, unless they are the beneficiary or an authorized representative of the beneficiary.  In order to designate someone as an authorized representative, you can go to the Medicare Online Forms section of the web site, download form CMS-10106 and follow the instructions on the form.

How do I order a replacement Medicare Card?

Answer
MyMedicare.gov  allows you to order a replacement Medicare card.  To do so, click on the “Click here to request a replacement Medicare card” link on the My Account page.  Replacement Medicare cards can only be sent to the address of record on file with the Social Security Administration.  Please make sure that your address on the Address Verification page is your current address before requesting a replacement Medicare card.

It may take up to 4 weeks for you to receive your new Medicare card.  You will also receive an Entitlement letter within 14 days of your successful replacement Medicare card request.  For your protection, you will not be able to order a replacement card if one has been ordered in the last 30 days.

What does the Other Insurance status represent?

Answer
The Other Insurance status shows the type of Other Insurance Plan in which you may be enrolled.  This Other Insurance is your secondary payer for medical care when Medicare is your primary paper.  If the Other Insurance section is not listed on the ‘My Health & Drug Plans’ tab, you were never enrolled in an Other Insurance Plan.

What is Plan Enrollment?

Answer
The Plan Enrollment section of the My Health and Drug Plans tab gives you information about the different types of plans you are enrolled in, such as Medicare Advantage, Original Medicare, Prescription Drug, or an Employer Subsidy plan.

Medicare Advantage and /or Prescription Drug Plan

If you are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage type plan and /or Prescription Drug plan, you will see the following information about your current plan.  (If you are not currently enrolled in a Medicare Advantage type plan and/or Prescription Drug plan, but have a future enrollment date, the page will show details about your future plan.)

1. Contact ID - The number that identifies your contract.
2. Contract Period - The dates that your contract begins and ends.
3. Plan ID/Plan Name - The number that identifies your plan and the name of the plan that you are enrolled in.
4. Marketing name - The brand name or the commercial name of your plan.
5. Plan Information - Phone number and contact address of your plan.
6. Plan Type - The type of plan that you are enrolled in.
7. Plan Period - The dates that your plan coverage begins and ends.

Employer Subsidy Plan

If you are enrolled in an Employer Subsidy plan, you will see the following information about your plan.  (If you are not currently enrolled in an Employer Subsidy plan, but have a future enrollment date, the page will show details about your future plan.)

1. Plan Name -  The name of the employer Subsidy plan that you are currently enrolled in.
2. Effective Date - the date that coverage begins with your plan.
3. Termination Date - The date that coverage ends with your plan.

If you are not enrolled in a Medicare Advantage type plan, Prescription Drug plan and/or Employer Subsidy plan, the Plan Enrollment section will let you know that you are either enrolled in Original Medicare or another type of plan.

If you have recently enrolled in a plan and that plan is not yet listed, please check back, as Medicare updates this system frequently.  If you feel that your enrollment information is incorrect, please contact 1-800-MEDICARE to speak with a representative.

To find out how we can help you reduce the cost of your Texas Medicare supplement insurance premium, please use the free quote form on the right, or call 281-238-6038 now.