Q. I understand that new Medicare cards are being mailed. Can BBB advise the expected dates for the delivery of the new card?
A. Yes, your new Medicare card is coming! Here’s BBB’s advice:
Jim Winsett of the BBB. The good news is that Medicare is issuing new cards for all recipients, and the new cards will not have Social Security numbers on them. The bad news: A survey by AARP indicated that there is a lot of misunderstanding about the card-replacement process on the part of Medicare beneficiaries.
1) Why the change?
As stated above and most important; the new cards will no longer have Social Security numbers imprinted on them – a real advantage for thwarting identity theft. Social Security numbers are highly valued by thieves. The new cards have 11-character, randomly assigned numbers that have no connection to your other personal data. The cards are printed on paper. This is easier for providers to use and make copies.