Finally, Medicare ID numbers are coming

If you are not on Medicare, you may not realize that Medicare cards display Social Security numbers. If you are a Medicare beneficiary who follows the instructions on the back of your card, you “carry it with you when you’re away from home.”

That creates the perfect scenario for identity theft — a lost wallet or even a bad actor at a medical office can open the door to nefarious activity. For example, a fraudster could change where your Social Security check is deposited, apply for credit in your name and establish a “my Social Security” account.

Most people are pretty careful with their Social Security numbers, but consider this: If you are divorced and your former spouse claims Medicare benefits on your record, he or she carries a Medicare card with your Social Security number on it.

Thankfully, Social Security numbers are soon to be removed from Medicare cards under the Social Security Number Removal Initiative. New cards are being issued starting in April 2018 through March 2019. A new ID number, called a Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI), will appear on the card, replacing the Social Security number.

This is very good news, and it’s been in the works for a long time. The impetus was the enactment of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) in 2015, which directed the removal of Social Security numbers from all Medicare cards by April 2019.

The card has a new design, which was released by the Centers for Medicare &Medicaid Services (CMS) on Sept. 14. You can see the new design on the inside cover of “Medicare &You 2018,” which is the booklet that CMS mails out to Medicare recipients. If you have not received yours, you can download it here: http://tinyurl.com/ya2fj2m9.

This is a huge step in the right direction to help prevent fraud. But scammers are already on to this change. Do not fall for a call or email from someone who tells you that you will lose Medicare benefits if you don’t confirm your personal information with them. That is not the case. You don’t need to take any action to get a new card, which will arrive in the mail sometime between April 2018 and April 2019.

If you are contacted by anyone asking for personal information, report that to the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (1-800-HHS-TIPS).

If you move, have your address updated on SSA’s records. (Contact the Social Security Administration at www.ssa.gov/myaccount, or at 800-772-1213).

When you receive the card in the mail, you’ll also get instructions to “safely and securely destroy” your current Medicare card. You will need to keep your new Medicare number confidential, of course.

You may be wondering about how your medical service providers will address this change. CMS is working with health care providers over a 21-month transition period to make necessary changes. (If you are a health care provider, go to cms.gov/newcard for more information.)

You (and your health care provider) will be able to use “secure look-up tools” to access the new Medicare number after it is issued, according to a CMS release.

Having Social Security numbers on Medicare cards creates an unnecessary risk of identity theft for the senior population. Thanks to Congress and CMS, that will soon be history.

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Julie Jason is a personal money manager at Jackson, Grant of Stamford, Conn., and an award-winning author. Contact her at readers@juliejason.com.