Be sure to keep an eye on your mailbox. If you haven’t heard already, Medicare will be sending out new cards starting this April. What’s wrong with the card you
have now? Nothing! However, to protect your privacy, the new Medicare
cards will no longer show your social security number. Instead, each
will now have a unique Medicare number, used only for their
Medicare coverage.

What a wonderful improvement! Now if your wallet is lost or stolen, at least
you’ll have the peace of mind that your social security number isn’t included.
Rest assured, there will be no change to your coverage or benefits. You will
receive additional information from Medicare along with your card.

To be ready for your new card, here are some tips from Medicare:

● Be sure that your mailing address is current. If you need to update
your address, contact Social Security by calling 1-800-772-1213 or visiting
www.ssa.gov/myaccount. TTY users may call 1-800-325-0778.

● Be cautious taking calls about your new Medicare card. Medicare
will never ask you to provide personal information to receive your new
Medicare Number or card.

●  Be patient. It takes some time to send out 52 million new cards.

The cards will be mailed out between April 2018 and April 2019. Your friend or
a neighbor may receive their cards sooner than you.

This information and more can be found in the 2018 “Medicare & You”
handbook available for download at medicare.gov.