Our Blog

702-625-9260

Where’s My New Medicare Card? How to Find Out the Status

Posted by Laura E. Stubberud | Jul 06, 2018 | 0 Comments

The federal government has begun mailing new Medicare cards to 59 million Americans. You should keep track of when your new card will arrive and contact Medicare if you don't receive it.

As ElderLawAnswers previously reported, to prevent fraud and fight identity theft, the federal government is issuing new cards to all Medicare beneficiaries that will no longer have beneficiaries' Social Security numbers on them. The government began mailing the cards in April 2018 and the new cards should be completely distributed by April 2019. The cards are being mailed in phases based on the state the beneficiary lives in.

To check the status of card mailing in your state, go here: https://www.medicare.gov/newcard/. The map will show whether Medicare has sent new cards to your state. Once Medicare starts mailing cards to your state, it can take up to a month to receive the card. If the government has finished mailing the cards to your state, and you did not receive a card, contact Medicare right away at 1-800-MEDICARE (633-4227) or 1-877-486-2048 for TTY users.

If the government hasn't begun mailing cards to your state yet, keep checking the website. You can also sign up to receive an email when the card is mailed to you. If your mailing address is not up to date, call 800-772-1213, visit www.ssa.gov, or go to a local Social Security office to update it.

If you haven't received the new card yet, keep using the old card. If you have a Medicare Advantage plan, the Medicare Advantage Plan ID card is your main card, but your doctor may want to see your new Medicare card as well, so keep it handy.

As we reported, phone scammers are using the introduction of the new cards as an opportunity to separate Medicare beneficiaries from their money. One of the main scams that has emerged is a call requiring payment before the card can be issued. The cards are free and you don't need to do anything to get yours. For more on the scams and what to do if you fall victim, see Reuters columnist Mark Miller's recent column.

For information on the new cards, go here: https://www.medicare.gov/newcard/.

About the Author

Laura E. Stubberud

Laura Stubberud has over two decades of experience in the practice of estate and family law in Nevada. After graduation from UCLA, she studied law at Southwestern University School of Law , graduating in 1992. With over 30 years of practice in Clark County, Nevada, Ms. Stubberud has substantial e...

Comments

There are no comments for this post. Be the first and Add your Comment below.

Leave a Comment

Call us today at 702.625.9260. You’ll receive the highest level of personalized service.

Menu