I have been helping my elderly grandparents deal with signing up for Medicare because they don't understand how the internet works. I realized that when they opted into Part A and Part B, they had forgotten about prescription coverage. I was unsure how we would add Part D, so I elected to call Social Security so that we could discuss our options. I figured this was the best way to start because, unlike the internet, which seemed filled with false information, the Social Security office would be trustworthy.
Of course, going in, I didn't expect to get to someone right away to solve my problems. After all, it isn't easy to talk to anyone in the Social Security office on a good day. There are just so many reasons why people might call the office, from identity fraud issues to changing information to just requiring a new card. I thought that I would give it a shot, though.
Unfortunately, I almost immediately struck out because the message said thank you for calling Social Security but told me that this phone number no longer worked. That was a bit of a letdown, but it did give me a new number to call: 1-800-722-1213.
I called this number, and I went straight to a voice that sounded the same, but this time, after the greeting, it continued. It asked about Spanish and then went through a lot of nonrelevant information about the COLA premium, Medicare premiums, and a general warning about social security fraud. I would say that I listened to messaging for almost two minutes.
However, once it finally ended, it mentioned that I could go online for more information, and then the voice assistant said, "How can I help you?" I wasn't sure at first, but then they gave me a list of options that sparked me to say, "Apply for benefits."
It then asked me the type of benefits I was calling about, and I told the voice assistant that I was calling about Part D. It then asked me if I was already enrolled in Medicare, and I said yes. This led to a long recorded message that contained some useful information but, in the end, did not get me any help. It gave me another phone number to call if I needed help or told me to go online. At this point, I will probably just go online because I don't feel like any more runaround.