New Medicare Cards

[rekees4300]

Federal government will mail new Medicare cards between April 2018 and April 2019. The Social Security Number will be replaced with a new Medicare Number that's unique to you. The purpose is to help protect your identity.

Things to know:
- You don't need to take any action to get your new Medicare card.
- The new card won't change your Medicare coverage or benefits.
- Medicare will never ask you to give personal or private information to get your new Medicare number and card.
- There's no charge for your new card.

https://www.medicare.gov/forms-help-and-resources/your-medicare-card.html

 

[Bird]

Does Oklahoma still use your SSN for your drivers license number? I know they used to, but don't know whether that ever changed.

 

[jajiu]

Massachusetts use to use it for the drivers licenses, but changed a few years back. When I was in the Army back in '68, they issued service #'s. Still remember mine. I couldn't believe when they started using SS #'s .

 

[k0ua]

Does Oklahoma still use your SSN for your drivers license number? I know they used to, but don't know whether that ever changed.

Missouri used to but then switched back to a different numbering system. It ALL seemed like such a GREAT idea "back in the day" "why not just use the SSN?" That was all great before the era of "identity theft". Who had ever heard of such a thing? Medicare is so far behind the curve..

 

[k0ua]

Massachusetts use to use it for the drivers licenses, but changed a few years back. When I was in the Army back in '68, they issued service #'s. Still remember mine. I couldn't believe when they started using SS #'s .

We all wondered about the validity of doing that, but government "knows best". yeah right. It didn't take them too long to figure out this was just helping bad people.

 

[rekees4300]

Back when SSN first came in, wasn't it stipulated that it wasn't to be used for any other purpose?

That was the original intent but after computers were invented and the growth of government exploded that detail became inconvenient.

Some history: Social Security History

 

[mddorange]

I didn't know they had switched back. I started under the military number, then SSN. I can still recite the old military number.

Back when SSN first came in, wasn't it stipulated that it wasn't to be used for any other purpose?

You are correct there but then everyone started using it so it almost became useless.

Yes, they even reissued my "Indeff" Retirement ID card to get my SSN off it. Of course I still remember my old AF ID number!

 

[Tractor Seabee]

I hope the new cards are normal wallet pocket size instead of the current oversize cards.

Ron

 

[rekees4300]

I hope the new cards are normal wallet pocket size instead of the current oversize cards.

Ron

That would require some common sense so don't get your hopes up. :confused2:

 

[rekees4300]

The new Medicare cards have been mailed in some states. Here's a map showing progress.

New Medicare Card | Medicare.gov

 

[mapper]

I received my card couple of months ago, they are wallet size. They are printed on thick paper and do not appear to be very durable. I laminated mine so that it would survive being pulled out of my wallet more than a couple dozen times.

 

[Coyote machine]

Are they using the number coding that's NOT tied to one's SS# yet?
I too laminated my most recent card.

 

[mapper]

The number is different than my SSN.

 

[rekees4300]

The number is different than my SSN.

Hate to sound cynical but IMO this project is a monumental waste of time/money. Somewhere in the Federal bureaucracy there has to be a master file(s) that cross references the new Medicare numbers with the old SSN. It will take hackers about 15 minutes to find/steal that file thus making the new number totally useless in preventing ID theft! :confused2: Thanks to Equifax and many other data breaches, all of our SSNs have already being stolen and are being bought/sold on the Dark Web as we speak.

 

[turnkey4099]

Hate to sound cynical but IMO this project is a monumental waste of time/money. Somewhere in the Federal bureaucracy there has to be a master file(s) that cross references the new Medicare numbers with the old SSN. It will take hackers about 15 minutes to find/steal that file thus making the new number totally useless in preventing ID theft! :confused2: Thanks to Equifax and many other data breaches, all of our SSNs have already being stolen and are being bought/sold on the Dark Web as we speak.

But at least it is a start on divorcing the SSN from every record except the one it was supposed to be limited to at the beginning.

 

[Oldoak]

Hate to sound cynical but IMO this project is a monumental waste of time/money. Somewhere in the Federal bureaucracy there has to be a master file(s) that cross references the new Medicare numbers with the old SSN. It will take hackers about 15 minutes to find/steal that file thus making the new number totally useless in preventing ID theft! :confused2: Thanks to Equifax and many other data breaches, all of our SSNs have already being stolen and are being bought/sold on the Dark Web as we speak.

You got the right!

Too little, way too late. Our SS#s are all over the place..........from medical facilities to financial institutions and alike. :confused3:
Just another big waste of our tax money by the bloated government bureaucracy.

 

[Coyote machine]

You who are complaining that finally the Govt. is doing something can't have it both ways.
Continuing to use SS#s is no solution. At least they're moving away from that system, and eventually all those whose SS#s are/were on file will be terminated by eventual death.
Progress is glacially slow in Govt., but eventually it catches up. You naysayers have a better solution than just complaining- bring it.:confused2:

 

[rekees4300]

Just another big waste of our tax money by the bloated government bureaucracy.

Congress allocated $242 million for the switchover. Based on the normal Federal cost overruns, the taxpayers' tab will likely be at least $500 million!!! That's just the tip of the iceberg, imagine the private healthcare industry costs!