How to Set Up Your Medicare.gov Online Account

A MyMedicare.gov account is the official, free way to manage your Medicare coverage online directly through the federal government, without needing to call or mail anything in. Once it's set up, you can view your claims, check what your Part D prescription drug plan covers, print a replacement Medicare card, and compare plans during open enrollment.

Setting up this account also helps protect you from Medicare scams. Fraudsters sometimes call pretending to be from 'Medicare' asking you to confirm your Medicare number or Social Security number over the phone. Medicare will never call you out of the blue asking for personal information — having your own account means you can look up anything you need directly, instead of relying on a phone call from someone claiming to be Medicare.

The setup process takes about ten minutes and only needs to be done once. You'll need your red, white, and blue Medicare card handy, along with the same personal information Medicare has on file for you (name, birthdate, and Medicare Number). Source: medicare.gov/account/login and medicare.gov/basics/get-started-with-medicare.