If you pay your Part D drug plan premiums directly, this issue does not affect you – Medicare Premiums Snafu Affects 250,000 Social Security Recipients
But now, about 250,000 seniors who opted to have their Medicare premiums taken out of their Social Security checks are getting bills for as much as five months of unpaid premiums.
Because of an “isolated software issue,” the Social Security Administration says it failed to withhold Medicare Advantage and Part D prescription-drug plan premiums from some beneficiaries’ checks starting with January 2019 benefits, which were paid in February. So the plans didn’t get their money—in some cases, from February through June—and will bill enrollees directly instead. People who enrolled in an Advantage or Part D plan for 2019 and asked to have their premiums deducted from their Social Security payments may be affected.
If you’re getting unexpected invoices/bills from your Part D drug provider, pay attention!
Why did it take so long to address this problem?