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If you receive your Medicare bill from the Railroad Retirement Board rather than Social Security, you'll need to mail your premium payments to a different address. WHAT ABOUT PART D,

MEDICARE ADVANTAGE OR MEDIGAP? If you choose to get extra coverage from a private insurer, you may have to pay additional premiums to the plan: PART D PRESCRIPTION DRUG COVERAGE. You pay

your regular Part D premiums to the drug plan, not to Social Security or Medicare. Ask your plan about your options. You may receive monthly bills or be able to pay electronically. You can

ask your plan to deduct your premium from your monthly Social Security benefits, called “premium withholding.” The automatic payments can take up to three months to take effect after your

request; you may have to pay premiums directly to your plan until then. If you have to pay a high-income surcharge for Part D, also called an Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount

(IRMAA), that extra monthly premium goes to Medicare rather than to the plan. If you receive Social Security benefits, the IRMAA is deducted automatically from your payments. Otherwise,

you’ll receive a monthly bill from Medicare for the extra amount and will have the same payment options as listed in Part B above. MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLANS. If you have coverage from a

private Medicare Advantage plan rather than original Medicare, you still need to sign up for Medicare parts A and B and pay the monthly premiums. You may have to pay an additional monthly

premium to your Medicare Advantage plan, although many plans don’t charge more. Ask your Medicare Advantage plan about your payment options. If you must pay a high-income surcharge for the

drug portion of the coverage, you can either have the IRMAA deducted automatically from your Social Security benefits or RRB benefits, or Medicare will bill you monthly for that amount.

MEDICARE SUPPLEMENT PLANS. If you buy a Medigap policy to help cover Medicare’s deductibles and copayments, you’ll have to pay premiums directly to the plan. Contact your plan to find out

more. KEEP IN MIND If you have trouble affording your Medicare Part A or Part B premiums or out-of-pocket costs, you may qualify for a Medicare Savings Program. Eligibility is based on

income and assets, and varies by state. You can find out more from your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). If you need help paying your Medicare Part D premium and

out-of-pocket costs, you may qualify for the Extra Help program. Return to Medicare Q&A main page