What does the letter suffix on my Medicare card mean?
Clients often ask us about the meaning of the letter suffix on their Medicare card. Your Medicare number (also called Medicare Claim Number) is usually your Social Security number followed by a code.
What is a Social Security number prefix?
It identifies the state in which the person was born or lived at the time the number was issued, so sorting Social Security numbers by state is easy. Most Social Security numbers are requested upon the birth of a child in the United States, so your prefix identifies the state in which you were born.
What are the suffixes for Medicare Part A and Part B?
Suffixes of JI, J2, K1, and K2 indicate entitlement to Medicare Part A. J3, J4, K3, and K4 suffixes, meanwhile, entitle you to purchase Medicare Part A coverage. “M” alone indicates you are enrolled in Medicare Part B but are not eligible for Medicare Part A coverage.
What does the suffix code “D” mean on a Medicare claim number?
If your suffix code is anything in the “C” category, your primary claimant parent’s Social Security Number, and not your own, will constitute the first nine numbers of your Medicare Claim Number. “D” alone indicates you are the widow of a primary claimant.
What does the suffix on a Medicare number mean?
Here's what the letters behind the Medicare number mean: *A = retired worker. B. = wife of retired worker. B1 = husband of retired worker.
What are the letters after the Medicare number?
“A” identifies the primary claimant (wage earner) who has qualified for the benefits. “B” identifies a wife, age 62 or over, whose benefits are related to her husband's record. Adding a 1 (B1) identifies a husband receiving benefits based on the wife's record. “D” is a widow and "D1" is a widower, aged 60 or over.
What does the letter B after the Social Security number on a Medicare card mean?
Code B — claimant is drawing on their living spouse's work record. B applies to a wife drawing on a husband's record, while B1 is for a husband drawing on a wife's record.
What is the Medicare number format?
How does the MBI look on the card? The MBI's 2nd, 5th, 8th, and 9th characters are always letters. Characters 1, 4, 7, 10, and 11 are always numbers. The 3rd and 6th characters are letters or numbers.
What do all the letters mean in Medicare?
There are four parts of Medicare: Part A, Part B, Part C, and Part D. Part A provides inpatient/hospital coverage. Part B provides outpatient/medical coverage. Part C offers an alternate way to receive your Medicare benefits (see below for more information). Part D provides prescription drug coverage.
What do letters after Social Security number mean?
The letters at the end of a SSN indicate the claim number for a SSI or Social Security beneficiary. Per the SSA: "If you are an SSI beneficiary, your claim number is your nine-digit Social Security Number (SSN) (000-00-0000) followed by two letters such as EI, DI, DS, DC.
What does D7 after Medicare number mean?
D2 for the second widow of a primary claimant. D3 for the second widower. D4 for certain remarried widows. D5 for the certain remarried widowers. D16 and D7 for certain surviving divorced wives.
How many letters and numbers are in a Medicare ID?
The MBI has 11 characters, like the Health Insurance Claim Number (HICN), which can have up to 11. Will the MBI's characters have any meaning? Each MBI is randomly generated. This makes MBIs different than HICNs, which are based on the Social Security Numbers (SSNs) of people with Medicare.
How many letters are in a Medicare number?
11 charactersWhat do the letters on your Medicare card mean? The Medicare number displayed on your red, white and blue Medicare card (known as an MBI, or Medicare Beneficiary Identifier) is 11 characters long: The 2nd, 5th, 8th and 9th characters are always a letter, and the 3rd and 6th characters are sometimes a letter.
Do Medicare numbers have o?
MBIs are numbers and upper-case letters. We'll use numbers 0-9 and all letters from A to Z, except for S, L, O, I, B, and Z. This will help the characters be easier to read.
Medicare ID numbers Suffixes and Prefixes
Most medicare identification numbers you will see end in A. This means that that person has medicare under their own social security number. However there are other ways a person can have medicare and those are reflected in the letter after the social security number on the medicare card.
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With an extensive 20 years of experience in all aspects of the insurance billing field and a vast knowledge of both hospital and private practice medical billing; Suzanne hopes to help others navigate the health insurance maze.
How many digits are in Medicare?
The first nine digits of your medicare number should look familiar to you. Most times, they match your social security number. However, there are some cases where it will be the SSN of your spouse, parent or child instead.
Where is my Medicare claim number?
Your Medicare Claim Number is located on your Medicare card underneath the beneficiary name. Providers use this number to provide Medicare covered services. It is also the number you will provide to the Social Security Administration when discussing your Medicare account and terms. The first nine digits of your medicare number should look familiar ...
What does a T in Medicare claim mean?
Medicare Claim Numbers ending in “ T” mean you are eligible for for Medicare Part A, but not for retirement benefits. This could be because you suffer from chronic kidney disease, or have eligibility due to Medicare Qualified Government Employment (MQGE), or the spouse of a MQGE.
What is the Medicare code for primary beneficiary?
Relationships to the Primary Beneficiary Codes. The most common code is code “A”. This simply means you are the primary claimant who has become eligible for Medicare through paying into the Medicare system for over 40 quarters.
What does C1 mean on Medicare?
Suffixes following “C” indicate your relationship to the primary claimant. “C1” means you are the first child, “ C2” means you are the second child and so forth.
Does Medicare Part C appear on your card?
If you have enrolled in Medicare Part C ( Medicare Advantage) or Part D ( prescription drug coverage ), this information will not appear anywhere on your Medicare card, but on a separate membership card that you receive after enrollment.
What is a 9 digit HICN?
All HICNs issued by SSA are 9-digit numbers with at least one letter suffix (called a beneficiary identification code or BIC) in the tenth position. If there is an eleventh position, it may be either a letter or number e.g. 123-45-6789A or 987-65-4321D4. The HICN issued by the RRB, may contain either 6 or 9 digit numbers with up to a 3-position letter prefix e.g., A123456 or MA123-45-6789. If a beneficiary’s entitlement changes, it is possible for the 9-digit number, the prefix, the suffix or all three to change. It is also possible to go from an SSA issued HICN to a RRB HICN or vise versa. The numeric portion of a 9-digit HICN consists of a Social Security Number (SSN). If the BIC is A, T, TA, M, M1, J1, J2, J3, J4 or the RRB prefix is A or H the number is the beneficiary’s own SSN. If the BIC or RRB prefix is other than one of the above, the SSN belongs to a number holder and the beneficiary is entitled as an auxiliary or survivor on that SSN.
What is the correct HIC number?
HIC Format – A correct HIC number consists of 9 numbers immediately followed by an alpha suffix. Take special care when entering the HIC number for members of the same family who are Medicare beneficiaries. A husband and wife may have a HIC number that share the same Social Security numerics.
Do husband and wife have the same Social Security number?
A husband and wife may have a HIC number that share the same Social Security numerics. However, every individual has their own alpha suffix at the end of the HIC number. In order to ensure proper claim payment, it is essential that the correct alpha suffix is appended to each HIC. No hyphens or dashes should be used.
What is the suffix C in Medicare?
“C” indicates you are the child of a primary claimant. Numerical suffixes following “C” indicate which child you are in relation to the primary claimant. If you are the first child, your suffix is C1; if you are the second child, your suffix is C2; if you are the third child, your suffix is C3; and so on. In all, numerical suffixes following C go all the way to number 9, depending on the order of birth of siblings. If your suffix code is anything in the “C” category, your primary claimant parent’s Social Security Number, and not your own, will constitute the first nine numbers of your Medicare Claim Number.
What does "A" mean in Medicare?
“A” means you are a retired wage earner and the primary claimant. Typically, you paid into the Medicare system during your working years over a period of at least 40 quarters.
What is the suffix for a parent?
“F” is the parent category, with suffixes for a primary claimant’s father (F1), mother (F2), stepfather (F3), stepmother (F4), adoptive father (F5), and adoptive mother (F6). There is no “F” suffix without a number following it. The primary claimant child’s Social Security Number will constitute the first nine digits of a Code “F” claimant’s Medicare number.
What does E mean in Social Security?
“E” alone indicates you are the widowed mother of a primary claimant. Other suffixes in the “E” category include E1 for the surviving divorced mother of a primary claimant; E2 for the second widowed mother of a primary claimant; E3 for the second divorced mother of the primary claimant; E4 for the primary claimant’s widowed father; and E5 for the primary claimant’s surviving divorced father. “E” may be a particularly complicated category given these convoluted variations. In all cases, the primary claimant’s Social Security Number will constitute the first nine digits of a Code “E” claimant’s Medicare number.