Consumer Alert
New Medicare cards coming soon
New Medicare cards are coming soon. Here’s what you need to know about your new card. Plus, how to avoid related scams.
Starting in April 2018, Medicare will begin mailing new cards to everyone who gets Medicare benefits. Why? To help protect your identity, Medicare is removing Social Security numbers from Medicare cards. Instead, the new cards will have a unique Medicare Number. This will happen automatically. You don’t need to do anything or pay anyone to get your new card.
Medicare will mail your card, at no cost, to the address you have on file with the Social Security Administration. If you need to update your official mailing address, visit your online Social Security account or call 1-800-772-1213. When you get your new card, your Medicare coverage and benefits will stay the same.
If your sister who lives in another state gets her card before you, don’t fret. The cards will be mailed in waves, to various parts of the country, from April 2018 until April 2019. So, your card may arrive at a different time than hers. You can check the rollout schedule to get a better idea when you may be receiving yours.
When you get your new card, be sure to destroy your old card. Don’t just toss it in the trash. Shred it. If you have a separate Medicare Advantage card, keep that because you’ll still need it for treatment.
As the new Medicare cards start being mailed, be on the lookout for Medicare scams. Here are some tips:
- Don’t pay for your new card. It’s yours for free. If anyone calls and says you need to pay for it, that’s a scam.
- Don’t give personal information to get your card. If someone calls claiming to be from Medicare, asking for your Social Security number or bank information, that’s a scam. Hang up. Medicare will never ask you to give personal information to get your new number and card.
- Guard your card. When you get your new card, safeguard it like you would any other health insurance or credit card. While removing the Social Security number cuts down on many types of identity theft, you’ll still want to protect your new card because identity thieves could use it to get medical services.
For more information about changes to your Medicare card go to go.medicare.gov/newcard. And if you’re a victim of a scam, report it to the FTC.
Search Terms
It is your choice whether to submit a comment. If you do, you must create a user name, or we will not post your comment. The Federal Trade Commission Act authorizes this information collection for purposes of managing online comments. Comments and user names are part of the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) public records system, and user names also are part of the FTC’s computer user records system. We may routinely use these records as described in the FTC’s Privacy Act system notices. For more information on how the FTC handles information that we collect, please read our privacy policy.
The purpose of this blog and its comments section is to inform readers about Federal Trade Commission activity, and share information to help them avoid, report, and recover from fraud, scams, and bad business practices. Your thoughts, ideas, and concerns are welcome, and we encourage comments. But keep in mind, this is a moderated blog. We review all comments before they are posted, and we won’t post comments that don’t comply with our commenting policy. We expect commenters to treat each other and the blog writers with respect.
We don't edit comments to remove objectionable content, so please ensure that your comment contains none of the above. The comments posted on this blog become part of the public domain. To protect your privacy and the privacy of other people, please do not include personal information. Opinions in comments that appear in this blog belong to the individuals who expressed them. They do not belong to or represent views of the Federal Trade Commission.
In reply to What good is removing the by lynnnv
In reply to The deductible is so high, it by Why Bother
In reply to I can tell everyone that new by Ronnie
In reply to Thank you so much by İrfan8001
In reply to How are the cards mailed out. by dry goods
The cards will be mailed in waves to various parts of the country, from April 2018 until April 2019. You can check the rollout schedule to get a better idea when you may receive your card.
In reply to Why no space on new card for by Berna J French
Signatures are not required on the new cards.
In reply to When can I start looking for by Darrell Brinkmann
Visit https://www.medicare.gov/newcard/. Enter your email address and state of residence, then hit submit.
In reply to I got my new card and all by Mawmaw4grand
Visit https://www.medicare.gov/forms-help-and-resources/contact/contact-medicare.html
The site says “For specific billing questions and questions about your claims, medical records, or expenses, log into MyMedicare.gov, or call us at 1-800-MEDICARE. “
Hope this helps.
In reply to My daddy already received his by skyblueinsf
Visit https://www.medicare.gov/newcard/. Enter your mother's email address and state of residence, then hit submit.
Mailing takes time. Your mother’s card may arrive at a different time than her husband’s, friends or neighbors.
In reply to Got my new card about 3 weeks by John
Try contacting Medicare at this toll-free number: 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227)
In reply to The site tells you to destroy by grg1109
No. It means you should destroy your old Medicare card.
In reply to I will be 65 in October and by Jennifer
You can go to www.Medicare.gov to find out about enrolling in Medicare, or you can call 1-800-633-4227.