Common Questions
What Is the Medicare Helpline?
- January 12, 2024
- Reviewed by John Krahnert
1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) is the official phone number for Medicare.
Do you have questions about Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans? Do you want to compare Medicare Advantage plans in your area?
You can call to speak with a licensed insurance agent today at TTY Users: 711 24/7.
What hours can I call Medicare?
Beneficiaries may call 1-800-MEDICARE 24 hours per day, seven days per week to get help with coverage, claims, payments and more in both English and Spanish. The hearing impaired may call 1-877-486-2048.
Some of the things you can get help with by calling 1-800-MEDICARE include:
- Claim status
- Coverage and benefits
- Premium payments
- Preventive exams
- Deductibles
To report a lost or stolen Medicare card and to request a new Medicare card, call 1-800-772-1213.
If you wish to report Medicare fraud and abuse, you can call 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477).
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Is the Medicare coverage helpline legitimate?
No, the Medicare coverage helpline is run by a private company, and your information is given to a sales agent after your call.
What are private Medicare plans?
There are three types of private Medicare plan options that may be available to Medicare beneficiaries.
- Medicare Advantage
Medicare Advantage plans provide the same benefits as Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) combined into a single plan.
Many Medicare Advantage plans also offer coverage for services that Original Medicare doesn’t cover. - Medicare Part D
Medicare Part D plans provide coverage for exclusively for prescription drugs. - Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap)
Medigap plans help cover for some of the out-of-pocket costs faced by Original Medicare beneficiaries, such as certain Medicare deductibles, copayments and coinsurance. You can’t have a Medigap plan and a Medicare Advantage plan at the same time.
A licensed insurance agent can help answer your questions about Medicare Advantage plans, including whether there are any MA plans in your area that offer prescription drug coverage.
When can I enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan?
There are only certain times of the year in which you may enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan.
A licensed agent can help you find a plan if you’re eligible to enroll.
About the author
Christian Worstell is a senior Medicare and health insurance writer with MedicareAdvantage.com. He is also a licensed health insurance agent. Christian is well-known in the insurance industry for the thousands of educational articles he’s written, helping Americans better understand their health insurance and Medicare coverage.
Christian’s work as a Medicare expert has appeared in several top-tier and trade news outlets including Forbes, MarketWatch, WebMD and Yahoo! Finance.
Christian has written hundreds of articles for MedicareAvantage.com that teach Medicare beneficiaries the best practices for navigating Medicare. His articles are read by thousands of older Americans each month. By better understanding their health care coverage, readers may hopefully learn how to limit their out-of-pocket Medicare spending and access quality medical care.
Christian’s passion for his role stems from his desire to make a difference in the senior community. He strongly believes that the more beneficiaries know about their Medicare coverage, the better their overall health and wellness is as a result.
A current resident of Raleigh, Christian is a graduate of Shippensburg University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
If you’re a member of the media looking to connect with Christian, please don’t hesitate to email our public relations team at Mike@tzhealthmedia.com.
