Guard Your Card
October 25, 2017
In an effort
to help with identity protection, the government will be issuing new Medicare
cards next year. These new cards will have a new Medicare number that is unique
to you, instead of using your Social Security number. You don’t have to do
anything special to get a new card. If you are already on Medicare, you’ll
automatically get a new one next year. Anytime between April of 2018 and April
of 2019 you will receive your new card.
Until you receive it you can continue to use your current Medicare card.
In the
meantime, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is launching a TV
campaign to remind people to treat Medicare cards like you would any other very
private information. The campaign, called Guard
Your Card, is centered around safeguarding your Medicare number now and in
the future.
Scammers may
try to get your current Medicare number and other personal information by
contacting you about your new Medicare card. They often claim to be from
Medicare and use various methods of obtaining your information like the
following:
- Asking
you to confirm your Medicare or Social Security Number so they can send
you a new card.
- Telling
you there's a charge for your new card and they need to verify your
personal information.
- Threatening
to cancel your health benefits if you don’t share your Medicare Number or
other personal information.
Don’t be
fooled. Medicare will never contact you and ask you for personal
or private information over the phone or email to get your new Medicare number
and card. View the new CMS Television commercial here.
