In April, Medicare began mailing new Medicare cards with a fresh look that includes a new number. The new Medicare numbers do not change a user’s Medicare coverage or familiar benefits. The mailing of new cards will be staggered throughout the year, with completion expected by April, 2019.

Personal identity theft affects a large and growing number of seniors. People age 65 and older are increasingly the victims of this type of crime. This is why the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is readying a fraud prevention initiative that removes Social Security Numbers (SSN) from Medicare cards. The change will help seniors to protect their identity as the new Medicare cards will have a unique Medicare number instead. This unique Medicare number will be known as a Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers (MBI) number. Medicare started mailing new cards to Minnesotans in June. 

Healthcare Providers such as doctors, pharmacies, skilled nursing facilities know this change is coming and will ask their patients/Residents for a copy of their new Medicare number. Seniors are encouraged to check that their address is correct with www.ssa.gov/myaccount. It is important to watch out for scams. Medicare will never make uninvited phone calls to ask for personal or private information. If someone asks for information, money, or is threatening in any way, hang up and call Medicare immediately at 1-800-Medicare (1-800-633-4227). Medicare will mail additional information with the new cards – check Medicare.gov for the latest updates. Once the new card has arrived, it is important to destroy the old card and start exclusively using the new one. Stay protected by making sure no one can access the old Medicare card.

The new card will look very familiar to those who have Railroad Retirement Board benefits. The new card is similar but does not have the Railroad Retirement Board emblem.