In April, the government will start sending out , launching a massive, yearlong effort to alter how 59 million people enrolled in the federal health insurance program are identified.
Historically, Medicare ID cards have been stamped with the Social Security numbers of members 鈥� currently, about 50 million seniors and 9 million people with serious disabilities. But that鈥檚 been problematic: If a wallet or purse were stolen, a thief could use that information, along with an address or birthdate on a driver鈥檚 license, to steal someone鈥檚 identity.
For years, phone scammers have preyed on older adults by requesting their Medicare numbers, giving various reasons for doing so. People who fall for these ruses have found bank accounts emptied, Social Security payments diverted or bills in their mailboxes for medical services or equipment never received.
The new cards address these concerns by removing each member鈥檚 Social Security number and replacing it with a new, randomly generated 11-digit 鈥淢edicare number鈥� (some capital letters are included). This will be used to verify eligibility for services and for billing purposes going forward.
Such a major change can involve bumps along the way, so there will be a transition period during which you can use either your new Medicare card or your old card at doctors鈥� offices and hospitals. Both should work until Dec. 31, 2019.
If you forget your new card at home, your doctor鈥檚 staff should be able to look up your new Medicare number up at a secure computer site. Or, they can use information that鈥檚 already on file during the transition period.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had a few people contact us and ask 鈥業f I don鈥檛 have the new card at a doctor鈥檚 appointment, does that mean my provider won鈥檛 see me?鈥欌�� said Casey Schwartz, senior counsel for education and federal policy at the Medicare Rights Center. 鈥淭hat shouldn鈥檛 be an issue.鈥�
Cards will be sent to people covered by Medicare on over a 12-month period ending in April 2019. Older adults in Alaska, California, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia will be the first to receive the mailings, between April and June, along with several U.S. territories 鈥� American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.
The last wave of states will be Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio and Tennessee, along with Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
鈥淚f your sister who lives in another state gets her card before you, don鈥檛 fret,鈥� the Federal Trade Commission explained in a . Since the cards are going out in waves, 鈥測our card may arrive at a different time than hers.鈥�
If you think Social Security might not have your current address, call 1-800-772-1213 or check your online Social Security account at , the FTC advised.
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