Medicare to Start Issuing New ID Cards in 2018

 Posted on June 09, 2017 in Social Security Disability

If you have received Social Security Disability Insurance benefits for at least 24 months, you are automatically enrolled in Medicare, which provides hospitalization and medical insurance. While Medicare is normally for people age 65 and older, SSDI recipients are eligible regardless of their age. In some cases, low-income beneficiaries may also qualify to have the State of Illinois pay their premiums and other costs associated with Medicare.

Removing Social Security Numbers to Better Protect Identity

If you are a current or expected future recipient, you should be aware of ongoing changes to the Medicare identification card system. On May 30, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that starting next year it will mail all Medicare recipients new ID cards that contain a variety of fraud-prevention measures. Notably, while current Medicare ID cards use an identifier based on Social Security Numbers (SSN), the new cards will have a completely separate Medicare Beneficiary Identifier or MBI.

Congress passed legislation in 2015 mandating Medicare remove Social Security Numbers from all of its ID cards no later than April 2019. The main reason for this change is to protect Medicare recipients from identity theft. As the CMS noted in its statement announcing the new ID cards, the U.S. Department of Justice has reported more than 2.4 million cases of identity theft annually involving senior citizens. In two-thirds of those cases, the victims reported “direct financial loss.” Moreover, even where there is no direct loss, Medicare identity theft can still lead to false claims and inaccurate medical records.

The new MBI will be used expressly for Medicare. According to CMS, the MBI will “contain a combination of numbers and uppercase letters,” as opposed to the purely numerical SSN. This is only a change in identifier. CMS emphasized there will be no changes to actual Medicare benefits or eligibility rules.

Beware ID Card Scammers

Unfortunately, in its efforts to prevent identity theft, the new Medicare cards have already sparked warnings about scams targeting confusion over the change. There have been reports of beneficiaries receiving telephone calls or door-to-door visitors who falsely claim to represent Medicare. These con artists convince people they must pay money or provide bank information to “verify” their Medicare status in order to receive a new ID card.

Anyone who tells you that you need to purchase a new Medicare card is lying. CMS plans to mail new cards, free of charge, to all beneficiaries. As a Medicare recipient, you do not have to do anything except wait to receive your card in the mail. If anyone tells you that you will “lose your coverage” unless you provide personal financial information, do not believe them.

Moreover, once you do receive your new Medicare card, make sure to keep it confidential and in a safe place. You should also destroy your prior Medicare card, as it contains your SSN and could still be used for identity theft.

If you have any questions about this or any other issue related to Medicare coverage, an experienced Chicago Social Security Disability Insurance attorney can help. Contact Pearson Disability Law, LLC, to speak with a lawyer today.

Source:

https://www.cms.gov/Newsroom/MediaReleaseDatabase/Press-releases/2017-Press-releases-items/2017-05-30.html