Medicare Suffixes Here’s what the letters behind the Medicare number mean: *A = retired worker B = wife of retired worker B1 = husband of retired worker B6 = divorced wife B9 = divorced second wife C = child of retired or deceased worker; numbers after C denote order of children claiming benefit D = widow D1 = widower
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 Medicare claim number and what does it mean?
On a Medicare card received before 2015, your Medicare Claim Number consisted of your Social Security number followed by a code of letters and sometimes numbers that have a specific meaning. In more recent years, a randomly-generated combination of letters and numbers replaced this Medicare Claim number.
What is a Medicare provider number?
Your Medicare provider number is used for billing and identification purposes and typically consists of your social security number followed by a code of letters and sometimes numbers that have a specific meaning.
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 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 is the 11 digit Medicare number?
A complete Medicare number requires 11 digits in total. This includes your 10-digit Medicare number on your card followed by the unique reference number that appears next to your name. Please take extra care when entering you Medicare Number, it is extremely important to ensure it is 100% correct.
Does Medicare number have 0 or O?
To avoid confusion between letters and numbers, Medicare does not use the letters S, L, O, I, B or Z. So if your Medicare claim number contains an O, it is the number “0” and not the letter “O.” Medicare previously used a person's Social Security number to file claims.
How do I read my 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.
How do I write my Medicare number and reference number?
Your Individual Reference Number (IRN or 'Medicare reference number') is the number to the left of your name on the card. When you provide your IRN, ensure that you give the number alongside your name and not the last digit of your Medicare number.
How many digits is a Medicare ID?
11 charactersAll MBI will have 11 characters like HICN (Health Insurance Claim Number), which can have upto 11. All MBI is generated Randomly, in past this was based on Social Security Numbers (SSNs) of People with Medicare, as per their post This MBI's will “non-intelligent” , so they doesn't have any hidden or special Meaning.
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.
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 information is on my Medicare card?
There is additional important information located on your Medicare card for you and your doctor. This includes your name and sex. Additionally, it states whether you have Medicare Part A (inpatient hospital) and Medicare Part B (outpatient medical), and lists the dates that Part A and B first started.
What is a B1 on Medicare?
There are several variations to the B code: B1 is for a husband of a primary beneficiary at age 62 or over. B2 is for a young wife with a child in her care,
What happens if you lose your Medicare card?
If you lose your Medicare card with your number on it, you can request that the Social Security Administration replace your card at no charge. The Medicare Beneficiary Identifier is for claims, billing and identification purposes.
What do the codes after my Social Security number mean?
After the Social Security number, there is a letter and sometimes a number. These codes all have different meanings.
How long does it take for Medicare to arrive in the mail?
After your replacement request, the card typically arrives in the mail in about 30 days, at no cost to the beneficiary. Social Security will mail your Medicare card to the address they have on file for you, so it is important to keep your information with them up to date.
Can I use my Social Security number on my Medicare card?
Removing Social Security numbers from Medicare cards further protects the identities of Medicare beneficiaries. The replacement number is called the Medicare Beneficiary Identifier, or MBI number. Moreover, if you still have a Medicare card with your Social Security number on it, you can still use it. Nonetheless, getting a new Medicare card is ...