Advance Letter FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about the
Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey
What is the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey?
The Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) is an ongoing survey designed to learn
more about the people who use Medicare and improve the Medicare program. MCBS data
provide legislators, policy makers, and Congress with more information about how Medicare
is used and how it affects beneficiaries like you. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services (CMS), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, oversees the
Medicare program and sponsors this survey.

Why is it important to participate in this survey?
The survey will help us understand how Medicare affects you, and what, if any, problems you
have with it. The information you provide us will be used to make Medicare work better for
you, both now and in the future. To conduct the survey, a professional interviewer will
contact you by phone or in person to ask questions about your health, your health care, and
how much it costs.

Why have I been selected to participate?
As part of a randomly selected sample of beneficiaries, you represent thousands of other
Medicare beneficiaries. Your participation is important to accurately represent the experiences
of all types of beneficiaries in the United States, regardless of health status. You cannot be
replaced.

What types of questions will I be asked?
We will ask you questions about your recent experiences with Medicare, such as:

• Where do you usually go for health care?
• How do you usually schedule your health care appointments?
• How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the out-of-pocket costs you

paid for health care?
• How easy or difficult do you think the Medicare program is to understand?
• What are your suggestions or concerns about Medicare?

How long does it take?
Your first interview will last about an hour. We will also interview you again next year.
Subsequent interviews can take around 90 minutes, depending on your health status as well as
your use of health care services.

Will helping with this survey affect my Medicare benefits in any way?
No, your benefits will not be affected in any way by your answers. Also, your benefits will not
be affected by your decision to participate in this survey or not.

How do I know my answers will be kept private?
Your answers are protected under the Federal Privacy Act of 1974. The information you
report is combined with information provided by many others and only used to describe
Medicare beneficiaries as a group. No information that could identify you individually is
publicly released.

How will I recognize the Survey Interviewer?
If you have any questions about the credibility of
an interviewer or your survey participation, you
can visit http://www.norc.org/verifyme, call
1-866-856-NORC, or email surveyhelp@norc.
org. You may ask for an interviewer's employee
ID number on their badge and verify they work
at NORC using any of the resources above.
The interviewer is a representative from NORC
at the University of Chicago who wears an
official NORC ID badge with their picture, name,
title, ID number and signature, as pictured to the
Front
right. On the back is a distinctive hologram and
phone number to call to confirm the interviewer’s identity.

Back

How can I make an appointment or get more information?
If you receive a letter in the mail or if an interviewer contacts you, you may schedule an
appointment using the information provided. You can even schedule the appointment for in
the evening or on a weekend.
If you would like to contact us to schedule an appointment, please call us toll free at 1-844777-2151.You may also visit our Contact Us page at https://www.mcbs-contactus.norc.org to
request a representative contact you to schedule your appointment or answer questions you
may have. In the meantime, if you would like to learn more about the Medicare Current
Beneficiary Survey, including recent reports and data:

Call us at
1-844-777-2151

Email us at
[email protected]

OMB No. 0938-0568 | Expires 2/29/2024

Visit us at
www.mcbs.norc.org &
www.cms.gov/MCBS