Beginning in April 2018, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is issuing new Medicare cards to remove Social Security Numbers from the cards.  New Medicare enrollees will receive one of these new cards containing an account number instead of their Social Security Number.

Those already enrolled in Medicare will start receiving new cards over the next year.  Cards will be mailed in phases, and as of now, Ohio Medicare recipients are scheduled to see new cards sometime after June 2018.

Medicare recipients can begin using their new cards as soon as they receive them, and the old cards can be shredded or otherwise destroyed.

Although this process is designed to prevent fraud and identity theft, the issuance of new Medicare cards has already started a new wave of scams.

Read this article posted by CNN regarding these scams.  The article notes that Medicare will never contact you for personal information over the phone.  Additionally, never provide bank information for a “refund” on your old Medicare card.

Medicare recipients do not need to take any action to receive their new Medicare card.  It is a good idea, however, to make sure your mailing addresses are up-to-date with the Social Security Administration.

For more information regarding the new Medicare cards and the process, visit CMS’s website.