Federal agency ยท Medicare (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)
1-800-MEDICARE: talk to a person about Medicare
The Medicare phone line and live chat, open all day every day. Staff can point you to the right step for a complaint, and can pass an unresolved complaint to the Medicare Beneficiary Ombudsman.
Know before you go
The page says you can talk or chat with a person 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except some federal holidays. It is for Medicare questions. It sends Social Security matters to the Social Security Administration and cost-help questions to your state. For counseling on filing an appeal, the page points to your State Health Insurance Assistance Program. A call does not file your appeal, so use the deadline on your notice.
- Cost
- Not stated. The page lists no fee.
- Where
- Nationwide
- How to start
- Call 1-800-633-4227 (text telephone 1-877-486-2048) or use the live chat link on the page. Write down the date, the name of the person and a reference number.
- Phone
- 1-800-633-4227, as printed on the provider's page
- Have ready
- Your Medicare number; Your denial notice or Medicare Summary Notice; The name of your plan, if you have a Medicare Advantage or drug plan
Where this comes from
- Provider
- Medicare (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)
- Source we read
- https://www.medicare.gov/talk-to-someone
- Date we read it
- . This is not a fresh check.
- Date the provider printed
- Not displayed
- What we checked
- We read the provider's public page. We have not verified availability, eligibility or outcomes for any individual.
Other starting points
- Program or service
American Cancer Society 24-hour helpline
A phone and chat line staffed around the clock by cancer information specialists who answer questions and connect you to services. It is an information and referral line, not an appeals service.
From American Cancer Society
- Program or service
An Arm and a Leg: First Aid Kit
An archive of articles and starter packs from the podcast An Arm and a Leg, including a starter pack on what to do if you are in collections for medical debt. General reporting on health care costs, not appeal steps.
From An Arm and a Leg
- Program or service
Cancer Legal Resource Center and Cancer Justice helpline
A legal helpline and resource library for people with cancer, run by the Disability Rights Legal Center. Covers legal questions about insurance, work and money. Whether staff can take your case is not stated.
From Disability Rights Legal Center