Your Medicare Part B deductible is the amount you must pay each year before Medicare starts paying your claims. The Medicare Part B deductible for 2006 is $124 for each Medicare beneficiary. This is considered to be your out-of-pocket expense. Therefore, do not send payments to Medicare.  However, some supplemental or Medigap insurance companies pay for the $124 deductible.  You will need to contact them to verify if this is a covered expense.

Medicare will apply your deductible on the first claims that are processed--regardless of the order they were submitted.

Useful information about your deductible is in your Medicare Summary Notice (MSN). You'll receive a MSN for most medical services you receive. It will explain what amounts were applied toward your deductible. It will also tell you which doctor to pay and how much.

If your doctor asks you to pay your deductible when he or she provides the service, request a delay in payment until you receive your MSN. This will help reduce confusion. That's because no one can be sure which of your claims will be applied to your deductible. Wait until you receive a MSN to be sure you're paying your deductible properly.

If you receive a bill and you're not sure if you should pay it, contact Highmark Medicare Services. A Medicare representative will verify if you owe money.