Medicare Blog

what does the letter m mean in a medicare number

by Dr. Aliyah Cole Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago
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Code M – is used for someone who is enrolled in Medicare Part B but is not yet eligible for Medicare Part A coverage. M1 indicates you are enrolled in Part B and are also eligible for coverage under Medicare Part A but have refused Part A coverage.May 19, 2016

What does the letter a mean in my Medicare number?

It denotes a primary claimant who is retired and has paid into the Medicare system as a wage earner for at least 40 quarters. 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.

What does W mean on a Medicare letter code?

“W” by itself indicates you are the disabled widow of a primary claimant. Other Medicare suffixes in the “W” category include: 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).

What is the difference between M1 and T code for Medicare?

M1 indicates you are enrolled in Part B and are also eligible for coverage under Medicare Part A but have refused Part A coverage. Code T – indicates the retiree is eligible for Medicare Part A benefits but not eligible for retirement benefits.

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.

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What do the letters after a Medicare number mean?

After the numerical sequence, there will be a letter or a letter followed by another number. 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 number format?

On a Medicare card, an MBI will appear similar to this: 1EG4-TE5-MK73. The second, fifth, eighth, and ninth characters are always letters while the first, fourth, seventh, tenth, and eleventh characters are always numbers. You can visit cms.gov for more information on the format of an MBI.

Does your Medicare number have letters?

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 the new Medicare numbers mean anything?

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. The MBI's characters are “non-intelligent” so they don't have any hidden or special meaning.

How do I decode my Medicare number?

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.

How do you read a Medicare 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 letter B after Social Security number mean?

Aged wife, age 62 or overB. Aged wife, age 62 or over. B1. Aged husband, age 62 or over.

What does t mean at the end of Medicare number?

According to Social Security's code list, “T” means the person has elected to receive only health insurance benefits (no Social Security) and is entitled to Medicare Part A under deemed or real provisions or fully insured.

Why do I have two Medicare numbers?

The front of your Medicare card indicates whether you are enrolled in Part A and/or Part B under the heading “IS ENTITLED TO.” If you are enrolled in the Medicare Part C (Medicare Advantage) plan or Medicare Part D (prescription drug) plan, that information appears on a separate card and not on your Medicare card.

What is the Medicare number most often called?

The Medicare number, called the Medicare health insurance claim number (HICN), is assigned by CMS and usually consists of the Social Security number followed by a numeric or alphanumeric ending.

What do the letters on my Medicare card mean?

What do the letters on your Medicare card mean? 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. All other characters will be numbers, and the letters S, L, O, ...

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 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.

What is Medicare Part B?

Medicare Part B is medical insurance and provides coverage for outpatient doctor’s appointments and medical devices. Medicare Part C, also known as Medicare Advantage, provides coverage for everything found in Part A and Part B through one plan provided by a private insurer.

How many parts of Medicare are there?

The four different parts of Medicare are each identified by a letter.

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.

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 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.

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 the suffix "E" mean in a divorce?

“E” by itself 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.

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.

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.

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 difference between B1 and B1?

B applies to a wife drawing on a husband’s record, while B1 is for a husband drawing on a wife’s record. Numerical suffixes continue to 9 (with B9 being the Medicare number suffix for a third husband). The spouse’s or ex-spouse’s Social Security Number will be the first nine numbers for anyone with the suffix code in the “B” category.

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.

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 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 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.

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