The majority of people’s Medicare numbers are their Social Security numbers with a letter after it, although some have a spouses, or a divorced or deceased spouse on it. The number and letter combination that defines a Medicare number is generally based on how and with whose work history a person is drawing a social security benefit check from.
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 is the letter coding at the end of Medicare numbers?
Some Medicare recipients, however, are confused about letter coding appearing at the end of a Medicare number, or Medicare Claim Number, which is located on the front of every Medicare card right under the name of the beneficiary. Most people will recognize the numerical part of their Medicare number immediately.
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.
Why is the letter “B” on my Medicare card?
Thus the letter on his Medicare card is “A” – the most prevalent code. His wife did not work outside the home. She qualified for Social Security benefits as the spouse of a retired wage earner, based on her husband’s record. Thus, her card uses the letter “B” along with the Social Security number of the wage earner – her husband.
What does the letter after 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 suffix on a Medicare card?
The second part of the claim number is the suffix. It is usually a letter, which may or may not be followed by a digit. The suffix indicates the type of benefits the claimant receives.
What does the letter B after the Social Security number on a Medicare card mean?
wifeThe Medicare people simply use the Social Security claim number as your Medicare number. Currently, your wife is claiming benefits on your account. “B” is the symbol the Social Security Administration uses to denote wife's benefits. When you die, your wife will be claiming widow's benefits on your record.
Do Medicare numbers start with a letter or number?
What kinds of characters are in the MBI? MBIs are numbers and upper-case letters. We use numbers 1-9 and all letters from A to Z, except for S, L, O, I, B, and Z. If you use lowercase letters, our system will convert them to uppercase letters.
What does the letter mean after my Social Security number?
claim numberThe 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.
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 t mean at the end of a 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.
What are the 3 types of Social Security?
Social Security Benefits: Retirement, Disability, Dependents, and Survivors (OASDI)
What is the difference between a Social Security number and a Medicare number?
Social Security Numbers Continue to be used for Medicare ID purposes. While the letter codes do not appear on your Social Security card, they are used on your Medicare card. Your Medicare claim number is the Social Security number of the primary wage earner on which benefits are based, plus your appropriate letter code ...
What are the different Medicare letters?
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.
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.
Is Medicare number same as member ID?
Your card has a Medicare Number that's unique to you — it's not your Social Security Number. This helps protect your identity.
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, ...
Protect your Medicare Number like a credit card
Only give personal information, like your Medicare Number, to health care providers, your insurance companies or health plans (and their licensed agents or brokers), or people you trust that work with Medicare, like your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) A state program that gets money from the federal government to give free local health insurance counseling to people with Medicare. ..
Carrying your card
You’ll need the information on your Medicare card to join a Medicare health or drug plan or buy Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap), Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) An insurance policy you can buy to help lower your share of certain costs for Part A and Part B services (Original Medicare). so keep your Medicare card in a safe place.
How do you get another Medicare card?
My card is lost or damaged — Log into (or create) your Medicare account to print an official copy of your Medicare card. You can also call us at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to order a replacement card. TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048.
What does the code letter T mean?
For example, if you get Medicare benefits at age 65 based on your own work record but are deferring claiming your Social Security benefits, you will be assigned the code letter “T”: that means you are fully insured but have elected to collect only health insurance (Medicare) benefits for now.
What does the B mean on a spouse's Social Security card?
Thus, her card uses the letter “B” along with the Social Security number of the wage earner – her husband.
Do you need a Social Security number to get Medicare?
Social Security Numbers Continue to be used for Medicare ID purposes. While the letter codes do not appear on your Social Security card, they are used on your Medicare card. Your Medicare claim number is the Social Security number of the primary wage earner on which benefits are based, plus your appropriate letter code.