Keeping The Right Card
Keeping the Right Cards – What Consumers Need to Know
Starting in April 2018, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) began mailing new Medicare cards with the Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI), a random combination of numbers and letters. These new cards replace Medicare beneficiaries’ old Medicare cards that included their Social Security numbers. There has been some confusion about which cards should be destroyed.
Help consumers understand which cards they need to keep and which they should destroy using the quick guide below.
Your guide to consumers’ cards
- Old Medicare card:Consumers should destroy (or put away in a safe place if they don’t want to destroy it) their old Medicare card that includes their Social Security number. They should use their new Medicare card that features the MBI when they need to reference their Medicare number.
- Social Security card: Consumers should not destroy their Social Security card. This is an important government-issued document that should be kept in a safe place.
- Insurance card: Consumers should not destroy their insurance cards. They will need to use this card when they visit the doctor or fill prescriptions.
Consumers are encouraged to contact CMS at 800-MEDICARE (800-633-4227) TTY
Or feel free to contact us for additional information.