Why Am I Getting So Many Medicare Calls?

By Muhammad Imran · Reviewed for accuracy against Medicare and CMS guidance · Last updated October 2026.

If your phone rings about Medicare every day, you are not imagining it, and it is not a sign that something is wrong with your coverage. Two forces collide to produce the flood. First, more than 11,000 Americans turn 65 every day during the current Peak 65 wave, so the lists of new Medicare beneficiaries refill constantly. Second, Medicare's Open Enrollment runs October 15 to December 7, and the weeks around it are the busiest calling season of the year. Our Open Enrollment scams guide covers that seasonal spike in full.

The calls themselves come from three different sources, and mixing them up is the main mistake people make. A scammer and a pushy agent sound similar on the phone, but the right response to each is different, and one of the three sources is legitimate.

Source 1: Insurance agents chasing a sale

The largest legal source of Medicare calls is insurance agents and agencies that sell Medicare Advantage and Part D plans. They commonly buy lists of people approaching 65 or recently enrolled in Original Medicare, and they call because a plan switch earns them a commission. This is the group behind most "better plan," "lower premium," and "extra benefits" pitches, including the grocery and flex card offers covered in our flex card guide.

Here is the rule that matters: under CMS marketing rules, Medicare Advantage plans and their agents may not cold-call you to sell a plan. Outbound marketing contact requires your prior permission to be contacted. If you never asked to be called, the sales call itself breaks the rule, whatever the agent is selling. Agents may call you if you gave permission, if you are already their client, or if you contacted them first. A call from a stranger selling a plan you never asked about fails that test on its face.

Agents also may not show up at your door uninvited to sell, leave voicemail pitches without permission, or send marketing texts without permission. The permitted unsolicited channels are conventional mail, print, and email with an opt-out. That is why your mailbox fills with Medicare mailers every fall: mail is the channel the rules allow.

Source 2: Scammers chasing your number

The second source is criminals. They call claiming to be from Medicare, Social Security, or your health plan, and they ask for your Medicare number, Social Security number, or bank details. Their goal is usually billing fraud: with your Medicare number, they can bill Medicare for equipment, tests, or services you never received. Sometimes the goal is identity theft directly.

Scammers ignore every rule on this page. They ignore the Do Not Call Registry, they spoof caller ID so the call looks like it comes from Medicare or a government office, and they use urgency and fear to keep you on the line. Our Does Medicare call you about benefits guide covers the impersonation scripts in full, including the callback exception: Medicare may call you back if you called them first, but it will never call out of the blue and ask for your number.

Source 3: Your own plan, doctor, or pharmacy

The third source is real. Your own health plan, doctor's office, or pharmacy may call about your care, a refill, a test result, or a service you already use. These calls are usually brief, they concern something you recognize, and they do not ask for your Medicare number, Social Security number, or bank details, because the caller already has your records.

The safe way to handle even a possibly real call is the same: hang up and call back using the number on your plan card or an official letter. Never verify a caller using a number the caller gave you, and never share sensitive information on an incoming call, even if the caller sounds familiar. A real caller will not mind you calling back.

How to tell which kind is calling

• They ask for your Medicare number, Social Security number, or bank details. That is a scammer. Hang up. Medicare never calls out of the blue and asks for those.
• They sell a plan you never asked about. That is at minimum a rule-breaking agent call. Hang up. If you want plan help, call 1-800-MEDICARE yourself or your local State Health Insurance Assistance Program.
• They threaten that your benefits are ending or your coverage is cancelled. That is a scammer. Medicare communicates coverage changes by mail, not by threatening calls.
• They offer free equipment, tests, or groceries in exchange for your number. That is a scammer or a misleading pitch. Real benefits are never claimed by handing your number to a stranger.
• They discuss care you recognize and ask for nothing sensitive. That may be your own plan or provider. Hang up anyway if you are unsure, and call back on the number on your card.

How to stop the calls

1. Join the National Do Not Call Registry. Register free at donotcall.gov or by calling 1-888-382-1222. This stops legitimate telemarketers. Be honest about its limits: it does not stop scammers, who ignore the law, and it does not block companies you gave permission to call. Think of it as one layer, not a wall.
2. Tell persistent callers to stop, and write it down. Say clearly that you do not want further calls, then note the date, the company name, and the number. A company you told to stop has no excuse to keep calling.
3. Block numbers on your phone. Blocking does not stop scammers from calling from new numbers, but it ends repeat calls from the same number, and it costs nothing.
4. Use your carrier's spam tools. Most phone carriers offer free spam blocking or labeling. Turn it on. It will not catch everything, but it cuts the volume.
5. Do not engage with unsolicited callers. Do not argue, do not press buttons, and do not answer questions to prove you are a real person. Hang up. Engagement confirms your number is active and can invite more calls.
6. Report the calls that break the rules. Report agent cold calls and rule-breaking sales calls to Medicare at 1-800-633-4227, with dates and company names. Report scam-sounding calls to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to the HHS Office of Inspector General at 1-800-447-8477.
7. Check plan offers through your own channel. If a call made you curious about a plan or benefit, verify it by calling 1-800-MEDICARE yourself or checking Medicare.gov. Never enroll over the phone with someone who called you first.

The four-part rule, in one paragraph

Medicare does not call you out of the blue to sell, enroll, or verify. The one exception is a callback after you contacted Medicare or your plan first. Medicare never asks for your Social Security number, Medicare number, or bank details on an unsolicited call. So the response is always the same: hang up, call 1-800-MEDICARE yourself at 1-800-633-4227 if you are worried, and report the call. That rule handles all three kinds of callers, because the legitimate kind will still be there when you call back.

If a caller already got your Medicare number, do not wait for the calls to stop. Our shared Medicare number guide walks through flagging your account, checking your claims, and reporting it, step by step.

Sources: Federal Communications Commission, Older Americans and Medicare Call Scams; Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Medicare marketing and communication rules; Medicare.gov; Federal Trade Commission, ReportFraud.ftc.gov; Alliance for Lifetime Income, Peak 65 analysis. Last updated October 2026.