what do the leters on your medicare card mean

Some other common letters for Medicare beneficiaries:

• “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. ...
• “D” is a widow and "D1" is a widower, aged 60 or over.
• "E1" is a surviving divorced mother and "E5" is a surviving divorced father.

Full Answer

What do the letters on my Medicare card mean?

What do the Medicare letters mean? The four different parts of Medicare are each identified by a letter: A, B, C and D. The number displayed on your Medicare card, however, is known as the Medicare Beneficiary Identifier and is randomly generated for you.

What does “a” at the end of my Medicare number mean?

“A” at the end of your Medicare number indicates you are a retired wage earner and primary claimant. The numerical part of your Medicare number matches your Social Security Number.

How many letters are there in a Medicare number?

In all, there are 12 letters that may follow the numerical part of the number. A letter code can be followed by additional number suffix letters. Letter code “A” is the most prevalent code. It denotes a primary claimant who is retired and has paid into the Medicare system as a wage earner for at least 40 quarters.

What does the “t” mean on my Medicare card?

“T” may indicate that you are eligible for Medicare Part A benefits but are not eligible for retirement benefits. It may also indicate that your Medicare eligibility is due to chronic kidney disease.

What does the letter B after the Social Security number on a Medicare card mean?

Aged wifeInterestingly, this list is not complete but shows only the most common SSA beneficiary codes....What Do The Letters After A Social Security Or Medicare Number Mean?CodeIdentificationBAged wife, age 62 or overB1Aged husband, age 62 or overB2Young wife, with a child in her careB3Aged wife, age 62 or over, second claimant30 more rows•Jul 10, 2010

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 does C1 mean at the end of a Medicare number?

Their SSN will be the first nine digits on your Medicare card. When you are the child of a primary claimant, code “C” will appear. 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.

How do I read my Medicare card number?

The IRN appears to the left of the patient's name on their Medicare card. This is not a unique identifier. While your Individual Reference Number is the number to the left of your name on your card, your Medicare Card Number is the 10 digit number that appears above your name, across the top section of the card.

What does the A on Medicare number mean?

“A” at the end of your Medicare number indicates you are a retired wage earner and primary claimant. The numerical part of your Medicare number matches your Social Security Number.

How to contact Medicare for letter code?

For further information about Medicare letter codes and other Medicare symbols, you can contact the Medicare Administration toll-free at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4277). For information about Medicare supplement insurance, Medicare Advantage, and all your best healthcare options, contact MedicareMall today! © 2013 MedicareMall.com.

What does the suffix A mean on Medicare?

Besides the letter A, which indicates you are a primary claimant who has paid into the Medicare system as a wage earner, there are 33 other common codes that appear at the end of Medicare Claim Numbers to identify the nature of eligibility.

What does HA code mean?

Code H. “H” indicates Medicare eligibility is due to disability. HA means you are a disabled claimant, HB means you are the wife of a disabled claimant, and HC means you are the child of a disabled claimant. If your Medicare number includes the HA code, your Social Security appears in your Medicare number. If your Medicare number includes the HB ...

What is the HA code on my Medicare card?

If your Medicare number includes the HA code, your Social Security appears in your Medicare number. If your Medicare number includes the HB or HC code, your disabled spouse’s or parent’s Social Security number represents the first nine digits of your Medicare number.

How many digits should be in a Medicare claim?

The first nine digits of a Medicare Claim Number should match the nine digits of the cardholder’s Social Security Number or, often, the nine digits of the cardholder’s spouse’s, parent’s, or child’s Social Security Number. Whether the nine digits of your Medicare number match your Social Security Number or another person’s Social Security Number ...

What does C mean in a claim?

Code C. “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. For example, if you are the first child, your suffix is C1; if you are the second child, your suffix is C2; and so on. If your suffix code is in the “C” category, ...

What is the C code for Medicare?

Code C – this category applies to child Medicare benefi­ciaries. Numerical suffixes following “C” indicate the child’s relationship to the primary claimant. The youngest child gets code C1, the next youngest gets C2, and so on through C9 and then from CA to CZ.

When did Obama end Medicare cards?

President Obama signed a bill in 2015 that will end the use of these numbers on Medicare cards. Medicare has four years to start issuing cards with new identi­fiers.

What is a J and K code?

Codes J & K – these categories are for workers and spouses respec­tively who become eligible for special Medicare benefits without drawing Social Security. Varying codes apply depending on whether the worker has enough quarters of employment to earn Part A coverage or if they have to pay for it separately.

What is a W1 card?

W is for widows and W1 is for widowers, while those who’ve been previ­ously married may have different W‑category codes. Most retiree’s Medicare cards currently begin with their Social Security number, which is the most valuable piece of infor­mation for an identity thief.

What is the code for widows?

Code E – this category applies to widows and widowers who are also parents of quali­fying children. “E” is a partic­u­larly compli­cated category given the many varia­tions.

What does the number portion of a spouse's Social Security number mean?

The number portion could be your spouse’s Social Security number to indicate you qualify for benefits because of your relationship to them. The nature of your eligi­bility is then indicated by the letter code that follows.

Does Medicare card have a letter code?

Letter codes following the Social Security number on Medicare cards do not indicate the type of insurance.

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 Medicare number?

This is the number every Medicare recipient should provide in all communication with the Social Security Administration about his or her Medicare account. This is also the number medical providers will need in order to provide Medicare-covered services to a Medicare recipient.

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.

How many digits are in Medicare?

Whether the nine digits of your Medicare number match your Social Security Number or another person’s Social Security Number depends on the nature of your eligibility for Medicare. The nature of your eligibility for Medicare is also reflected in the letter code immediately following the numerical portion of your Medicare number.

What does the suffix "E" mean in a claim?

“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.

What does Medicare Part A cover?

Medicare Part A is hospital insurance and it generally covers inpatient care in hospitals, including critical access hospitals, and skilled nursing facilities (not custodial or long-term care). It also helps cover hospice care and some home health care (certain conditions must be met to get these benefits).

Who handles Medicare enrollment?

The Social Security Administration handles Medicare enrollment. You are automatically enrolled in Medicare Part A and Part B if you’re 65 and receive Social Security checks.

What does Part B cover?

It also covers some other medical services that Part A doesn’t cover, such as some of the services of physical and occupational therapists, and some home health care. Part B helps pay for these covered services and supplies when they are medically necessary.

What do the letters after a Social Security number mean?

What do the letters after a Social Security or Medicare number mean? The Social Security number followed by one of these codes is often referred to as a claim number. We assign these codes once you apply for benefits.

What is the claim number for Medicare?

These letter codes may appear on correspondence you receive from Social Security or on your Medicare card. They will never appear on a Social Security card. For example, if the wage earner applying for benefits and your number is 123-45-6789, then your claim number is 123-45-6789 A . This number will also be used as your Medicare claim number, ...