Medicare Blog

what does the letter behind the medicare number mean

by Liana Willms Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago
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What does the letter at the end of my Medicare number stand for?

You may have noticed a letter at the end of your Medicare number and wondered what it stands for. Your Medicare Claim Number is located on your Medicare card underneath the beneficiary name. Providers use this number to provide Medicare covered services.

What does the letter “B” mean on my Medicare number?

It’s important to under­stand that the letter codes in your Medicare number have nothing to do with enrollment in the various parts of Medicare that are also identified by a letter A, B, C, or D. In other words, it does not mean you are enrolled in Medicare Part B if your number ends with the code “B”.

What do the primary letter codes in Medicare claim numbers mean?

Following are descriptions of what the primary letter codes in all Medicare Claim Numbers indicate. “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.

What is my Medicare number?

Your Medicare number (also called Medicare Claim Number) is usually your Social Security number followed by a code. The code may only appear on your Medicare card but it is assigned by the Social Security Admin­is­tration to identify the category you qualify under to claim benefits.

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What is the Medicare card number?

The number displayed on your Medicare card, however, is known as the Medicare Beneficiary Identifier and is randomly generated for you.

How many characters are in a Medicare card?

The Medicare number displayed on Medicare cards (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.

What is Medicare Part A?

Medicare Part A is hospital insurance and provides coverage for inpatient stays at hospitals and skilled nursing care facilities, among other inpatient services.

What is Medicare Supplement Insurance?

Medicare Supplement Insurance, also called Medigap, uses a letter system to identify its plans. Medicare Supplement Insurance is used in conjunction with Part A and Part B of Medicare to provide coverage for certain out-of-pocket expenses like some Medicare deductibles and coinsurance.

How many Medicare Supplement Plans are there?

There are 10 Medicare Supplement Plans to choose from, identified by letters: Plan A, B, C, D, F, G, K, L, M and N. Note that Medigap coverage options are referred to as “plan” (e.g., Medigap Plan A) as opposed to “part” (Medicare Part A hospital insurance).

What is the meaning of MBI?

All other characters will be numbers, and the letters S, L, O, I, B and Z will never be used. The MBI is randomly generated and is “non-intelligent,” which means it contains no hidden or special meaning and is therefore more difficult for someone to use to steal your identity or commit fraud.

Does Medicare cover dental insurance?

Many Medicare Advantage plans may also cover additional benefits not covered by Part A and Part B, such as prescription drugs, dental, vision, hearing, wellness programs like SilverSneakers and more. Medicare Part D provides coverage exclusively for prescription drugs.

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, ...

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.

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 is the Medicare code for a wife?

These codes indicate Medicare eligibility. For example, assume you are the wife (62 years or older) of the primary claimant, and your husband’s SSN is 555-55-5555. Your Medicare number would be 555-55-5555-B.

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 is the code for Medicare if you are married?

If you are married to or divorced from the living primary claimant, Code “B” will appear on your card. Their SSN will be the first nine digits on your Medicare card.

What does HC mean in Medicare?

“HA” will appear for the disabled claimant, while HB means you are the wife of a disabled claimant (62 or over). “HC” is for the child of a disabled claimant .

What does the M1 suffix mean on Medicare?

If a person is not eligible for Part B coverage but not Part A, Code “M” will appear on their card. If you are eligible for Part A but have refused it, the “M1” suffix will appear. 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 ...

What is a claim number on a Social Security card?

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. 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.

Can you use 123456789A as a claim number?

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 123-45-6789A. This number will also be used as your Medicare claim number, once you are eligible for Medicare. Code Identification. A Primary claimant (wage earner)

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