Starting in June, Medicare will begin mailing new Medicare cards to all Medicare eligible persons. The old Medicare cards contained your social security number as the patient identifier. Due to increases in fraud and identity theft, Medicare is removing the social security number and assigning a new random identifier made up of letters and numbers. This number will have no personal information, and will therefore help protect a patient’s identity. Once you receive your new paper card, you should destroy your old card and start using the new one right away.
Remember to give your new card to all of your providers, including chiropractors, medical doctors, and pharmacists. This will help to guarantee that there is no delay in getting your claims processed and that those same claims are not denied. It also helps to ensure that you are not asked to pay a balance that is not your responsibility.
Feel free to contact our office with any questions regarding your insurance or these new Medicare cards. We have handouts and fliers available to help assist you in the transition to the new cards.
Jenny (staff member at Steele Chiropractic)