On vacation, got a letter from Medicare headquarters. Should I worry?

September 20, 2024 10:43 AM

I have USPS Informed Delivery. The envelope says "Medicare Headquarters" under HHS, and "Official Medicare Business". I called Medicare, and they said they don't see anything in their records, and suggested it was from MedicAid instead.

I had Medicaid for about two years a long time ago (about 8 years ago), initially when I was unemployed, and then they eventually stopped service because I have had a job (I got a job in 2015 and they stopped service in August 2016). During that time, I was diligent in reporting my income to SSA/SSI/SSDI/food stamps. I also had gotten SSDI and their 8-month "grace period" for employment, and got Medicare for 8 years on top of that. My Medicare (which was Part A only) lapsed last year.

When I saw the 'informed delivery' mail, I called Medicare and they said they saw nothing/no letter in their record, and suggested that it was actually MedicAid, which kind of doesn't make sense, given that I think I had gotten letters from MedicAid before (when accepted/they stopped) and that they were from DC MedicAid, not under HHS/Medicare.

I'm worried because I used MedicAid for therapy services at that time, until MedicAid lapsed/stopped, presumably due to my income. I'm worried that they are saying I owe them money. I have cancer and I recently moved, I don't need this. I have trauma from when SSA said I owed them money (overpayments were extremely common in SSA) and that was super stressful. I don't need this stress again. I don't think I did anything wrong, but with the government, you never know.

Should I be worried? I honestly don't think it's Medicaid because the envelope says "Medicare Headquarters" and "Medicare Official Business". I never once used Medicare—I have my own insurance, so Medicare was just a "backup" because I was on it for 8 years.

I know you don't have the answers here, but I'm worried and this is ruining my day/vacation.

posted by dubious_dude to Law & Government (15 answers total)

This sounds to me like the sort of thing a scammer might send you. I wouldn't stress over it, it is most likely some pitch for supplemental insurance or something similarly skeezy.
posted by straw at 10:52 AM on September 20 [17 favorites]

Oh god, Mr. Blah is on Medicare right now and let me just say every damn week we get official-looking scam mail that *always* uses scare-inducing terms like OFFICIAL MEDICARE BUSINESS!!! From the HEADQUARTERS!!!!! And it's literally never official Medicare business!

Medicare itself is, above all things, a slow-moving machine. I'd bet $1000 it's not a letter from them, but if it is, you have plenty of time to deal with it when you're done with your vacation.
posted by BlahLaLa at 10:55 AM on September 20 [20 favorites]

Yeah, it might just be Medicare junk mail. I don't know your age and don't need to know, but at a certain point, you start to get a lot of junk mail from companies with scary "official" stamps and stuff on it. My parents both have. Insurance companies create a lot of misleading junk mail in an attempt to trick older people into thinking they have to buy Medicare supplemental coverage. (Medicare supplemental coverage can be just fine, but the way companies market and advertise it is predatory and often misleading.) Even if you're not retirement age, you might be on a list that got sold by the government to insurance companies to market to you because you were previously on Medicaid.
posted by limeonaire at 10:59 AM on September 20 [2 favorites]

I agree that this sounds very much like a scam but also, unless you are on a round the world cruise for the next 6 months, nothing related to a charge from 2015 is going to be so urgent that it cannot be dealt with upon your return from vacation.

I know that you can't just decide to stop worrying, but there is nothing you can or need to do with this right now. If an issue actually exists -- and it probably doesn't -- it will still exist in exactly the same status a week or whatever when you get home.
posted by jacquilynne at 11:01 AM on September 20 [3 favorites]

If it says "presorted standard" (or "PRSRT STD") in the postage area, you can ignore it.
posted by credulous at 11:02 AM on September 20 [9 favorites]

I am extremely skeptical that the federal government would send legitimate mail from "Medicare Headquarters" rather than the name of the agency that operates Medicare, "Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services".
posted by grouse at 11:11 AM on September 20 [7 favorites]

Response by poster: It says first class presorted, if that helps. It says HHS, then under HHS, Medicare Headquarters and the Baltimore address.
posted by dubious_dude at 11:29 AM on September 20

This article, Junk or Not? How to Sort Your Medicare Mail, might be helpful. It shows what logos and verbiage are used in official communication. (But also, echoing above, this can surely wait until you get home and is not worth ruining your vacation over!)
posted by Sweetie Darling at 11:38 AM on September 20 [6 favorites]

This sounds like it's probably junk mail but even if it's not, there's basically zero chance it can't wait until after your vacation. This is a Future You problem and likely one that Future You can handle in about 30 seconds. Try not to let it ruin Present You's good time.
posted by Stacey at 12:01 PM on September 20 [6 favorites]

(I hope you're in Maine!)
posted by kimberussell at 12:26 PM on September 20 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Interesting. No logo at all on the exterior of the envelope, just simply “U.S. Department of Health and Human Services” in all cap text, followed by “Medicare Headquarters”, followed by the Baltimore address, then “Official Medicare Business”, and that’s it. No logos at all. Is it safe to assume all Medicare communications should come in envelopes with logos on them? I seem to remember past envelopes containing a logo, at least.

In California visiting family, actually. :)
posted by dubious_dude at 3:00 PM on September 20 [1 favorite]

I just got this same letter. It's to remind you about updated Medicare drug coverage options thanks to recently passed laws because open enrollment starts soon.
posted by MagnificentVacuum at 3:31 PM on September 20 [15 favorites]

Well, I get emails from [e-mail], and the one I am careful about ALWAYS acting on is the "You have a new Electronic Medicare Summary Notice Available".

This Summer there was fraudulent activity on it and I called the Medicare Fraud hot line to report it. It was related to DME (Durable Medical Equipment) and believe me the quantity and cost of the charges were insane. So I guess I'm just saying that it's best practice to check occasionally.

Plus I agree with others that it's Open Enrollment (including Part D Rx) so yeah, that could be part of it also.
posted by forthright at 4:16 PM on September 20 [1 favorite]

Nothing I’ve ever received from Medicare was titled “Medicare Headquarters.” This mailing definitely sounds like a sketchy come-on to get you switch to/sign-up for a crap Advantage plan. I get a lot of those, and they all seem to go to great lengths to look “official government business.”
posted by Thorzdad at 4:30 AM on September 21 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Got back home. Ends up it was just an "ad" saying I could sign up for the "Extra Help" program. Whew. Still, all this angst could've been avoided if both Medicare agents I spoke with told me that's what I'd be getting in the mail. SMH. At least it's not anything bad!
posted by dubious_dude at 1:56 PM on September 26