How do I protect my Medicare number?
Protect your Medicare Number like you would your credit cards. Only give your new Medicare Number to doctors, pharmacists, other health care providers, your insurer, or people you trust to work with Medicare on your behalf.
Who can I give my new Medicare number to?
3.uard your card: GOnly give your new Medicare Number to doctors, pharmacists, other health care providers, your insurers, or people you trust to work with Medicare on your behalf. 4.our Medicare Number is unique: YYour card has a new number instead of your Social Security Number. This new number is unique to you.
What should I do with my old Medicare card?
get your new Medicare card, destroy your old Medicare card and start using your new card right away. 3.uard your card: GOnly give your new Medicare Number to doctors, pharmacists, other health care providers, your insurers, or people you trust to work with Medicare on your behalf.
What happens when you get a new Medicare card?
New Medicare Cards Are on the Way. Instead of your Social Security Number (SSN), your new Medicare card will include a new number unique to you. This will help to protect you against identity theft and protect Medicare from fraud. Medicare will automatically mail your new card to the address you have on file with Social Security.
How do I protect my Medicare number?
DO protect your Medicare Number (on your Medicare card) and your Social Security Number (on your Social Security card). Treat your Medicare card like it's a credit card. Don't ever give it out except to your doctor or other Medicare provider.
What happens if someone gets your Medicare number?
Notify the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) via identitytheft.gov or call 1-877-438-4338. The FTC will provide you with a recovery plan to help you move forward. Report the crime to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, if the identity theft occurred online.
Can I put plastic over my Medicare card?
Answer: Yes. Unlike Social Security cards, which the Social Security Administration says should not be laminated, it's OK to laminate your new Medicare card, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Centers for Medicare Medicaid ServÂices.
Should I carry my new Medicare card with me or a copy?
Your new card is paper: Paper cards are easier for many providers to use and copy, and they save taxpayers a lot of money. Plus, you can print your own replacement card if you need one! 6. Keep your new card with you: Carry your new card and show it to your health care providers when you need care.
Should I carry my Medicare card with me?
Regardless of your situation, you should have a Medicare Card, you should be able to put your hands on it quickly. For many of you, it should be in your wallet. If your insurance is Original Medicare + Medicare Supplement or some sort of Retiree Coverage, your Medicare needs to be billed for the services you receive.
Can my new Medicare card be laminated?
Can You Laminate Your Medicare Card? There are no regulations or laws that disallow you from laminating your card. However, it's made of paper, so providers may have an easier time scanning your card.
What happens if I laminate my Medicare card?
Laminating a Medicare card is not illegal. However, the lamination may prevent the detection of certain security features located within the card. It could also potentially cause a health care provider to misread a number on your card and a claim to be denied.
Are you supposed to laminate your Medicare card?
You'll definitely want to take good care of your Medicare card – don't lose track of it, and keep it in good condition. However, the Social Security Administration doesn't recommend laminating important identification cards because the plastic coating may interfere with the card's security features.
How to protect your Medicare card?
Follow these tips to guard your Medicare ID card: Keep your Medicare and Social Security cards secure. Don’t share your numbers with anyone other than your health care team. If someone calls and asks for your Medicare information, hang up. Medicare will only call you if you’ve called and left a message or if a representative said ...
When will Medicare cards be released?
You will receive your new Medicare ID card by April 2019.
What is Medicare fraud placemat?
The Medicare ID fraud placemat includes information to help older adults spot and avoid fraud. The placemat is part of a series of consumer education placemats that meal service providers deliver to homebound seniors and senior meal sites. The placemats are free to download or order in bulk.
What is Medicare fraud?
Medicare ID fraud happens when someone uses your Medicare card to get your personal information, like your Social Security or Medicare ID number . A fraudster could steal your identity to open new credit cards or bank accounts using your name and credit. They also could use your Medicare ID card information to file fake claims for healthcare you did ...
Why do we use placemats for Medicare?
You can use the placemats year-round to help educate older adults and others about how to protect themselves against fraudsters.
How to report Medicare fraud?
Report Medicare fraud by calling 1-800-MEDICARE or report online through the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services.
Can Medicare fraud be used to file fake claims?
They also could use your Medicare ID card information to file fake claims for healthcare you did not receive— like billing for a motorized scooter that you don’t need. Medicare fraud wastes a lot of money each year and results in higher health care costs for everyone.
Why is Medicare card made of paper?
The new Medicare card is made of paper to make it easier for medical providers to use and copy. Many Medicare recipients have wondered if they can do something to protect it from damage. Pulling your card in and out of your wallet can certainly take its toll. The paper may start to shred and fade over time.
What does a new Medicare card look like?
The new Medicare card will look similar to your old one , but there are differences. The new card will still be red, white, and blue, but will show a unique identification number instead of your Social Security number. Your effective dates for Part A and/or Part B will still be printed on the front of the card.
When will Medicare cards be released?
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that new Medicare cards would be delivered to all Medicare recipients between April 2018 and April 2019. A new identification card will be delivered to anyone who receives Medicare benefits.
Do you have to update your address for Medicare?
New Medicare cards are being sent out automatically to everyone who receives Medicare benefits. You do not have to do anything as long as your address is current. If you need to update your address, visit your MySocialSecurity account.
Can you laminate a Social Security card?
The paper may start to shred and fade over time. Although it is not illegal to laminate your card , the Social Security administration advises against it. Laminating the card may prevent built-in security features of the card from being recognized. Instead, consider buying a plastic card holder to keep it intact.
Where do you show your Medicare card?
Beneficiaries need to show their Medicare card at the doctor's office and the hospital in order to have Medicare pay for treatment. Over the years, many consumer advocates, including AARP, have called for a new form of Medicare identification.
How much would it cost to change Medicare cards?
The reason is that it would cost at least $800 million and take five years to issue new numbers and change the cards currently used by more than 47 million people with Medicare, Medicare officials testified at a House committee hearing on Aug.1.
Do doctors have to update their records?
Also, doctors and other health care providers across the nation would have to update their records . Other government health systems — such as those run by Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense — have already begun using ID numbers that are different from SSNs, or they are in the process of changing.
Can Medicare follow suit?
But no one knows whether Medicare will follow suit. In the meantime, here's what you can do to protect yourself, according to the Privacy Rights Clearing House, a national consumer resource on identity theft: Photocopy your Medicare card and cut it down to wallet size.
How to protect your SSN when you get a new Medicare card?
When you’ve received your new Medicare card, take these steps to protect your information and identity: Destroy your old Medicare card right away. Make sure you destroy your old card to help protect your SSN and other personal information. Start using your new Medicare card.
Can Medicare contact you uninvited?
Medicare will never contact you uninvited to ask for your personal information. For more information about your new Medicare card, visit Medicare.gov/NewCard. You can also visit Medicare.gov for tips to prevent Medicare fraud. Tags: Medicare, my Social Security account, Social Security benefits, SSN. See Comments.
Does Medicare send new cards?
Did you know that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is sending new cards with new Medicare numbers to everyone with Medicare? Instead of your Social Security Number (SSN), your new Medicare card will include a new number unique to you. This will help to protect you against identity theft and protect Medicare from fraud. Medicare will automatically mail your new card to the address you have on file with Social Security. As long as your address is up to date, there’s nothing you need to do! If you need to update your address, use your personal my Social Security account.
Does Medicare automatically mail a new card?
This will help to protect you against identity theft and protect Medicare from fraud. Medicare will automatically mail your new card to the address you have on file with Social Security. As long as your address is up to date, there’s nothing you need to do!
How to get a new Medicare card?
Medicare has posted information about the new cards. You should know: 1 There is no fee for the new card; it will be mailed to you automatically as long as your address is up to date. 2 Medicare will never call you uninvited to request personal or private information in order for you to get your new Medicare number and card. 3 If someone asks you for your information, for money, or threatens to cancel your health benefits if you don't share your personal information, hang up and call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). For more information visit www.medicare.gov/fraud.
When will Medicare start sending new cards?
In April, Medicare began sending its members new cards with unique eleven-digit account numbers, ending the previous reliance on SSA numbers. The transition to new cards and numbers is ongoing and is scheduled to be completed in December of 2019.
Can Medicare scammers steal your money?
Medicare scammers may use different angles in attempts to steal your money or your identity: Some callers may request payment for the new Medicare card, according to a Detroit Free Press article. Others may pose as medical insurers and threaten to cancel your insurance if you don't share information from the new card.
What do scammers want from Medicare?
What the scammers really want, of course, is to get personal or financial information for the purposes of identity theft or outright theft. To thwart a Medicare card scam, follow some basic precautions.
Can you share your Social Security number?
Don’t share your Medicare or Social Security number (or other personal information) with anyone who contacts you out of the blue by phone, text or email or shows up unannounced at your door.
When does Medicare card arrive?
Your Medicare card arrives three months before your 65 th birthday or your 25 th month of getting disability benefits when you are automatically enrolled in Medicare. From the moment of its arrival, you start to understand just how important it is.
How long does it take to get a replacement Medicare card?
If you receive your Medicare benefits through the Railroad Retirement Board, contact them directly to get a replacement card within 30 days.
Do Medicare cards have a Social Security number?
Even if you haven’t requested one, new Medicare cards are being issued to all Medicare recipients this year. In an effort to protect your identity, these new cards will no longer have your Social Security number printed on them. Instead, you will be issued a unique Medicare number that will be printed on your card.
Is it illegal to laminate a Social Security card?
Although it is not illegal to do so , Social Security advises against it. There are built-in security features which may be compromised if laminated. Instead, consider purchasing a plastic ID card holder to keep your card safe and in good condition.
Do you need to carry a Medicare card when it goes missing?
Every doctor, medical provider, or hospital will need to see it in order for you to receive services that will be covered by your Medicare benefits. You need to carry it with you at all times. If you realize that your Medicare card has gone missing, you should replace it as soon as possible.