The series of letters and email messages I received earlier this week qualified as urgent. “Your Medicare payment is overdue!”
I figured that it was untrue but I finally called the customer service number for United Health Care on Wednesday just to make sure.
After a delay I was put through to a friendly lady with an Indian accent. I’m afraid I was rather grumpy with her initially, because I resented this intrusion on my daily routine when it probably was going to turn out to be entirely unnecessary.
After all, I have had my Medicare expense deducted from my social security check on an automated basis for years.
After a series of delays, while I was placed on hold, the lady returned to cheerfully inform me it was all a misunderstanding. She said that when the routine monthly mailing from the Social Security Administration somehow gets delayed a bit, the health care provider automatically issues a past due reminder, or in my case, a whole slew of reminders.
“You have nothing to worry about, David. ( liked the way she pronounced my name.) Please just ignore such warnings in the future.”
My mood had improved so I thanked her graciously and hung up the phone.
But this incident angers me and this is why: Millions of American seniors rely on Social Security and Medicare to get by each month and to receive warnings that they owe money when they don’t triggers an understandable stress reaction. And many of them are not in an optimal situation mentally, so they might panic and try to pay the bill.
It is unfair and completely unnecessary. What is particularly obnoxious is one of the warning letters came from AARP, the retirement organization through which I purchased my Medicare coverage.
AARP is supposed to help seniors, advocate for us, and defend us — not simply replicate the government’s inefficiencies. Perhaps a class-action attorney should hold AARP accountable.
If you know anyone getting such letters advise them that they probably are false warnings, but they can double-check by calling the customer service number.
Today brought yet another email message warning me that my Medicare payment is overdue.
I cursed as I deleted it.
NOTE: Two of my earlier pieces on Medicare/Social Security inefficiency:
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