New Medicare Cards Will No Longer Use Social Security Numbers
Medicare is preparing to stop using Social Security numbers for identification next year and will send new cards to patients with Medicare ID numbers. Using Social Security numbers has been a recognized vulnerability for years, exposing seniors to identity fraud. In a digital society, having a Social Security number stolen can have immediate financial and legal consequences taking months and even years to untangle. The move is required by a law enacted two years ago to discourage identity theft. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will to begin mailing the new cards with Medicare beneficiary identifiers (MBIs) in April, 2018. That's when the agency will begin mailing out new cards to more than 57 million elderly and disabled beneficiaries. They'll be instructed to destroy their old cards after they get the new one. New cards may be used right away. No final prototype of the new card has been unveiled, but the MBI will have 11 characters, a combination...