New Medicare Cards Are Coming
If you receive Medicare, you will be getting a new Medicare card in the mail. To help prevent fraud and fight identity theft, Medicare is removing Social Security Numbers from Medicare cards. Your new card will have a new Medicare Number that’s unique to you.
When are new cards being mailed?
Medicare will be mailing new red, white, and blue paper Medicare cards between April 2018 and April 2019. Card mailings will be staggered, so the timing will depend on your geographical location.
Newly eligible people will begin receiving the new cards starting in April. The following table from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services shows when Medicare will be mailing cards to existing Medicare recipients. You can check the status of card mailings in your area on medicare.gov/newcard.
| Wave | States Included | Cards Mailing |
| 1 | Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia | Beginning May 2018 |
| 2 | Alaska, American Samoa, California, Guam, Hawaii, Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon | Beginning May 2018 |
| 3 | Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wisconsin | After June 2018 |
| 4 | Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont | After June 2018 |
| 5 | Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina | After June 2018 |
| 6 | Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming | After June 2018 |
| 7 | Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Puerto Rico, Tennessee, Virgin Islands | After June 2018 |
Some tips on using your new Medicare card
The following tips are from the Medicare website, medicare.gov.
- Your new card will be mailed to you automatically. You don’t need to do anything as long as your address is up-to-date. If you need to update your address, contact Social Security at https://www.ssa.gov/myaccount/ or 1-800-772-1213.
- Once you receive your new Medicare card, destroy your old Medicare card and start using your new card right away.
- Doctors, other health-care providers, and facilities will ask for your new Medicare card when you need care, so carry it with you.
- If you’re in a Medicare Advantage Plan (like an HMO or PPO), your Medicare Advantage Plan ID card is your main card for Medicare — you should still keep and use it whenever you need care. However, you also may be asked to show your new Medicare card, so you should carry this card, too.
- Medicare will never call you uninvited and ask you to give out personal or private information to get your new Medicare Number and card.
- Scam artists may try to get personal information (like your current Medicare Number) by contacting you about your new card. If so, hang up and call 1-800-Medicare.
