Dear Bebe,
I heard Medicare will be replacing our current cards with cards that don’t have our Social Security number on them. Do you know the timeframe for getting a replacement card?
Thanks,
Ann Nucard
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Dear Ann,
You are correct. Medicare beneficiaries will be getting new ID cards soon that won’t carry their Social Security numbers. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said people will start getting new cards next April.
“Personal identity theft affects a large and growing number of seniors,” CMS said in a statement. “People age 65 or older are increasingly the victims of this type of crime. Incidents among seniors increased to 2.6 million from 2.1 million between 2012 and 2014, according to the most current statistics from the Department of Justice.”
The new cards will feature a Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI), which is confidential like the SSN and should be protected as personally identifiable information.
Hope this is helpful,
Bebe
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