How to Replace Your Medicare Card If It’s Lost or Damaged

Your Medicare card is a vital piece of identification. It’s proof of your medical health insurance advantages.

You’re usually required to current your Medicare card when looking for care. With out it, you may find yourself paying much more out of pocket.

You’ll obtain your card within the mail alongside along with your “Welcome to Medicare” packet while you first enroll within the federal Medicare program.

Medicare enrollment occurs routinely in case you already obtain Social Safety advantages while you flip 65. In any other case, you want to join Medicare by yourself.

However how do you get a alternative in case your Medicare card is misplaced, stolen or broken?

The method is simple, so there’s no purpose to place off getting your card changed.

Right here’s the way it works.

3 Methods to Get a Medicare Card Alternative

There are three important methods to interchange your Medicare card in case your authentic is misplaced, stolen or broken.

• Log in to your MyMedicare account
• Name 800-MEDICARE (800-633-4227)
• Log in to your My Social Safety Account

1. Log in to Your MyMedicare Account

That is the quickest approach to order a alternative card. Merely login to your Medicare on-line account, then click on Print my Medicare Card on the principle web page.

You’ll get a short lived alternative Medicare card on-line to print, and you can too request a brand new card be mailed to you.

Should you don’t have already got a web based Medicare account, it’s straightforward to set one up. You’ll want your Medicare quantity, protection begin date, final identify, zip code, birthday and e mail tackle.

2. Name 800-MEDICARE (800-633-4227)

Wait occasions could also be lengthy, however a customer support consultant can order you a brand new card.

3. Log in to Your My Social Safety Account

When you’re logged in to your My Social Safety account, go to the Medicare Enrollment Element part and click on on Substitute Your Medicare Card. Then choose Mail My Alternative Medicare Card.

This can be a good choice in case you don’t have already got a web based Medicare account and may’t keep in mind your Medicare card quantity.

Should you obtain Railroad Retirement Board advantages, you possibly can name 877-722-5772 to get a alternative card.

When you obtain your card within the mail, you can begin utilizing it straight away — no activation required.

Additionally, your Medicare card doesn’t expire and also you don’t must “renew” it every year.

Learn how to Get Different Well being Insurance coverage Playing cards Changed

The strategies above solely apply to your pink, white and blue Medicare card.

To get a alternative card on your Half D, Medicare Benefit or Medicaid plans, you’ll must contact these suppliers straight.

Yow will discover the contact data on your Medicare Benefit plan or Half D plan by logging into your on-line Medicare account.

It’s good to make a copy of those different medical health insurance playing cards in a protected place at house alongside different vital paperwork — like your Social Safety card. This fashion you could have a backup in case your pockets is misplaced or stolen.

Make Positive Your Deal with Is As much as Date

Your new Medicare card will probably be mailed to the tackle on file with the Social Safety Administration.

Should you’ve moved just lately, be sure to have correct data on file with SSA. In any other case, your new card will go to the flawed tackle.

You’ll additionally miss different vital paperwork from Medicare, like your abstract notices, which particulars the physician visits, providers and provides billed to Medicare in your identify each three months.

You may replace your tackle in only a couple minutes by your My Social Safety account.

Don’t have a web based Social Safety account? You too can name SSA’s nationwide customer support line at 800-772-1213 to replace your mailing tackle.

You’ll additionally must replace your tackle with the non-public insurance coverage corporations that administer different Medicare advantages:

• Medicare complement insurance coverage coverage, also referred to as Medigap
• Half D prescription drug plan
• Personal insurance coverage for particular areas corresponding to dental, listening to and imaginative and prescient

How Lengthy Does it Take to Get a Medicare Card Alternative?

It often takes a month on your card to reach within the mail at your tackle on file with the Social Safety Administration.

Should you want your card sooner, you possibly can at all times print it out of your Medicare account in a just some minutes.

Why Your Medicare Card Is Necessary

Your Medicare card is your key to medical health insurance protection. It verifies your advantages and likewise permits suppliers to submit claims on your remedy.

You’ll must current your card everytime you go to a well being care supplier, like your physician or the ER.

You’ll additionally want the data in your card to affix a Medicare well being plan or prescription drug plan, or to purchase a Medigap coverage.

If you wish to make modifications to your protection throughout Medicare open enrollment, it is best to have your Medicare card readily available.

Your Medicare card shows the next data:

• Your identify.
• Your Medicare ID quantity, also referred to as your Medicare beneficiary identifier (MBI).
• Begin dates of your Half A and Half B protection.

It’s vital to maintain your Medicare card protected. Whereas Medicare playing cards not show your Social Safety quantity, unhealthy actors can nonetheless use your card quantity to commit Medicare identification theft.

Rachel Christian is a Licensed Educator in Private Finance and a senior author for The Penny Hoarder.