CMS completes wave one mailing of new Medicare cards

CMS began rolling out new cards to Medicare beneficiaries in April and recently announced that wave one of the mailing has been completed. The new cards are intended to help protect beneficiaries’ Social Security Numbers (SSN).

In the past, Medicare cards featured a Health Insurance Claim Number (HICN) based on the beneficiary’s SSN. The new cards replace the HICN with a Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) that is not tied to the beneficiary’s SSN. By now, beneficiaries who reside in Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia should have received new cards.

If a beneficiary from these states has not yet received a new card, organizations can assist beneficiaries in obtaining one in the following ways:

• Calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to determine whether the beneficiary’s information (e.g., mailing address) on file with Medicare is incorrect and in need of updating.
• Encouraging beneficiaries to use their current card featuring an HICN during healthcare encounters.
• Signing into MyMedicare.gov to determine whether the card has been mailed. If the card has been mailed, the beneficiary can print the official card from the Medicare website.

CMS also created a flyer that organizations can provide to beneficiaries in the states where cards have already been mailed who are still waiting for new cards. The flyer outlines the steps above that beneficiaries can take to obtain a card that should have already been delivered to them.

CMS has until April 2019 to ensure that all beneficiaries have received their cards, during which time facilities must follow CMS guidance regarding whether to use the HICN or MBI when submitting claims and appeals. 

Click here for the latest claim submission guidance related to the rollout of the new Medicare cards.