Dear Toni,

My Medicare starts Oct. 1 and I received my first bill, due on Sept. 25, about a week ago. This bill is for three months (Oct. 1-Dec. 31) and is over $525. I currently have more than $10,000 on my Health Saving Account (HSA) debit card through my past employer, and I was wondering if Medicare will accept payments made with an HSA debit card.

I am not at my full retirement age; I still work and make more than Social Security allows without having to pay a penalty. So I can’t start my Social Security check so that my Medicare premium can be deducted monthly. How can I pay that premium amount by the due date? Hoping your answer will make this Medicare situation less stressful.

–Janice from Little Rock, Ark.

Hello Janice:

I have good news for you because Medicare offers four ways to pay your premium online and having an HSA account is one of them. Janice, you should open a www.medicare.gov account since you are not receiving your Social Security check. The ways of paying are using a HSA card, a credit/debit card or an ACH debit from your checking or savings account. Medicare’s payment service is free.

Once you open your Medicare account at www.medicare.gov, you can arrange to pay your bill using your HSA, credit/debit card or bank account by clicking on the box “Pay my premium” under “What do you want to do?” To have your Medicare Part B premium set up to be paid on a monthly basis, visit “Medicare.gov Easy Pay” and elect monthly payments. It takes about six to eight weeks for the “Medicare Easy Pay” form to process. Be sure that you keep up with your monthly premiums, so your Medicare Parts A and B are not terminated before the Easy Pay form is activated.

Readers, I urge everyone on Medicare to stay current with your Medicare premium. By missing a premium payment, Medicare beneficiaries can lose their benefits and may be charged a penalty when they re-enroll.

To create a Medicare.gov online account, you must have applied for Medicare Part A and have your assigned Medicare number. On your Medicare account is information such as:

— Your Medicare Part A and B enrollment dates

— What Medicare Part D prescription drug plan or Medicare Advantage plan you are enrolled in

— Options to pay your Medicare premium, view your Medicare claims, print your Medicare card and much more

Medicare Part D prescription drug plan premiums are managed by the Medicare Part D prescription drug company. Medicare beneficiaries can pay their Medicare prescription drug premium either directly to the prescription drug company by check or credit card or by deductions from their Social Security payments.

Like Janice, many Americans do not realize that they can pay their Part B premiums monthly when not receiving their Social Security check by following the rules governed by Medicare. Take your time and study this Medicare rule.

I would advise readers enrolling or already enrolled in Medicare to visit www.medicare.gov to open a Medicare account. (Chapter 1 of Toni’s Medicare Survival Guide Advanced edition explains how to enroll in Medicare properly and receive your Medicare number to open a Medicare.gov account whether turning 65 or past 65 and still working.)

—Toni King is an author and columnist on Medicare and health insurance issues. She has spent nearly 30 years as a top sales leader in the field. For a Medicare checkup, call the Toni Says call center at 832-519-8664 or email info@tonisays.com regarding your Medicare plans and options. Toni Says Medicare Survival Guide Advanced edition is available at www.tonisays.com. Toni’s Medicare Moments articles have just been released: https://familytalktoday.com/medicare-moments.