As many of you may already know by now, Medicare is finally removing social security numbers from Medicare cards! Your Medicare coverage and benefits will stay the same and continue without interruption. The only thing that will change is your card. The change is to help protect your personal identity.
The new cards will be mailed out in ‘waves’ from April 2018 through April 2019. Each wave will include mailings to people with Medicare in select states. The table below (provided by Medicare.gov) shows the states included in each wave. Idaho falls into the ‘6th wave’.
Medicare.gov reports that Wave 1 and 2 mailings will go out in April, May and June of 2018. They say that mail dates for waves 3 – 7 will be available as mailings progress. That means that the earliest you should see your new Medicare card here in Idaho, would be June/July 2018. MOST LIKELY, it will be closer to July or August as we are in the 6th wave of mailings. You can check the status of card mailings starting in April 2018 by visiting go.medicare.gov/newcard.
Your card will be mailed to you automatically. You don’t have to do anything to get it.
It’s a big project to replace all the Medicare cards in the nation. The number is around 60 million new cards! It will definitely take a little time. In the meantime:
Make sure your new Medicare card is sent to the right address. Your new card will be mailed to the address Social Security has for you. It’s a good idea to check that it’s correct. You can check it online or call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213, TTY 1-800-325-0778, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Use your current Medicare card until the new one arrives. Begin using your new card as soon as you get it. Your old card can be destroyed once your new one arrives.
Keep using your Medicare Advantage plan member card. Your Medicare Advantage plan card, if you have one, is not affected by the change to your Medicare card. Simply continue to use your plan card as usual. Put your new Medicare card in a safe place when you get it.
Beware of possible scams. Remember that Medicare will never call you, come to your home, or ask for your Medicare number or other personal information. Only give your new Medicare number to your doctor, pharmacist, other health care providers and people you trust who help you with Medicare.
Please call me directly if you have any questions.
Matt Faller
Medicare Advisor
(208) 258-1470
