Everyone has to pay for Medicare. The Medicare taxes deducted from your paychecks cover your future Medicare Part A premiums. You pay for Medicare B after you sign up for it.

Most people pay for Medicare Part B with automatic deductions from their monthly Social Security benefit. If you don’t get a monthly Social Security benefit, you’ll be billed for your Part B premiums.

How much will you have to pay for Medicare Part B?

Most people pay the standard Part B premium, which is set annually by the federal government. Medicare beneficiaries with higher incomes may be assessed an income-related adjustment, which results in a higher monthly premium. You can find details about Medicare Part B premiums at medicare.gov.

PG&E-paid monthly credit

Age 65 or older? You and your spouse will each get a $15 monthly credit toward your Medicare Part B premium when you’re enrolled in Medicare Part B and a PG&E-sponsored medical plan.

If you think you should be getting the credit, call the PG&E Benefits Service Center at 1-866-271-8144.

Disabled and under 65? You’ll get a higher credit.

If you and your dependents are under 65 and eligible for Medicare due to a disability, you’ll get the full standard amount of the Medicare Part B premium instead of the $15 credit.

In other words, PG&E will reimburse the standard Part B premium, excluding any income-based surcharges that Social Security may assess you. When you or your dependents turn 65, the credit will change to $15 per month.

You and up to two dependents can get this credit as long as each of you is:

• Disabled and under 65,
• Enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B, and
• Enrolled in a PG&E-sponsored medical plan.

Think you qualify for Social Security disability benefits? Call Allsup, Inc., at 1-888-339-0743. PG&E has contracted with Allsup, Inc., to provide help with the Social Security disability application process at no cost to potentially eligible disabled retirees and dependents.

IMPORTANT: Enrollment in Medicare Part B is not always automatic. Contact the Social Security Administration to enroll in Medicare Part B.

Each dependent is responsible for enrolling in Medicare Parts A and B on time.

How can you enroll in Medicare?

There are three ways you can enroll in Medicare Parts A and B:

1. Call the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213.
2. Visit your local Social Security office.
3. Enroll online.

Did you or a dependent waive Medicare coverage because you were still working and had employee coverage?

You’ll need to enroll in Medicare Parts A and B no later than 90 days BEFORE your retirement date—and your Medicare coverage must be effective by the date you retire.

Otherwise, you won’t have full coverage. You and PG&E will need to complete a Request for Employment Information form (CMS-L564) so you can avoid being charged a late enrollment penalty—higher Part B premiums for the rest of your life.

Each Medicare-eligible dependent will need a form.

Submit the Request for Employment Information form to PG&E:

If you enroll at least 90 days before turning 65, your Medicare coverage will be effective the first day of the month you reach age 65. If your birthday is on the first day of the month, your Medicare coverage will be effective the first day of the prior month.

Under 65 and disabled? Your Medicare coverage should automatically start after you’ve been getting Social Security disability benefits for two years. DO NOT decline Part B when you become eligible for it.

There are two important points to understanding how Medicare works:

1. Allowable amount. Medicare determines an allowable amount for a particular service. Doctors and hospitals that accept Medicare assignment have agreed to accept Medicare’s allowable amount as payment in full—even though the allowable amount is usually less than what the doctor or hospital would charge.
2. Partial payment. Medicare typically pays 80% of the allowable amount. In some cases, Medicare will pay 100% of its allowable amount for some preventive services—like annual flu shots.

All PG&E-sponsored Medicare plans work together with Medicare—even if you’re not enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B.

Most PG&E plans coordinate benefits with Medicare. However, with the Medicare Advantage HMOs—including Kaiser Senior Advantage—you assign your Medicare benefits to the HMO. This allows Medicare to reimburse the HMO instead of reimbursing you.

Medicare is always your primary coverage, and your PG&E coverage is secondary. This means Medicare pays benefits first, and your PG&E plan pays any remaining eligible benefits second. If you’re not enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B, you won’t get full benefits.

Medicare Coordination of Benefits (COB) HMO. If you use network providers, you’ll typically pay a copayment at the time of service, and your HMO will coordinate all payments with Medicare. Usually, you’ll have no additional payments beyond your copayment.

You also can use licensed providers outside your HMO’s network. However, you'll get traditional Medicare coverage at the standard level of Medicare benefits.

Medicare Advantage HMO. A Medicare Advantage HMO—like Kaiser Senior Advantage— works like a Medicare COB HMO, except there is no out-of-network coverage. Instead, you assign or give away control of your Medicare benefits to the HMO when you enroll.

You can’t use your Medicare benefits outside of the HMO’s network.

Medicare Part A is called hospital insurance. Medicare Part A generally covers a portion of your hospital and some skilled nursing services when you’re classified as an inpatient.

Medicare Part B is called medical insurance. Medicare Part B generally covers a portion of your medically necessary and preventive services when you’re classified as an outpatient—even if you’re hospitalized.

Medicare Part D is Medicare’s prescription drug plan. All PG&E-sponsored plans have better prescription drug benefits than the basic Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit.

DO NOT ENROLL in any external Medicare Part D prescription drug plan, Medicare COB plan or Medicare Advantage plan that is not sponsored by PG&E.

If you do, you and your enrolled dependents will be disenrolled from your PG&E-sponsored plan, and you will lose all of your prescription drug and medical coverage through PG&E.

That’s because if you enroll in an external plan, your Medicare benefits will be paid to that plan—not to your PG&E-sponsored plan.