The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) of 2015,  enacts the removal of Social Security Numbers (SSNs) from all Medicare cards by April 2019. A new Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) will replace the SSN-based Health Insurance Claim Number (HICN) on the new Medicare cards for Medicare transactions like billing, eligibility status, and claim status.

Under the new system, for each person enrolled in Medicare, you will:

• Be assigned a new MBI.
• Receive a new Medicare card by mail (Make sure Social Security has your most up-to-date address.)

The MBI is confidential like the SSN and should be protected as Personally Identifiable Information.

The MBI won’t change Medicare benefits. People with Medicare may start using their new Medicare cards and MBIs as soon as they get them.

The effective date of the new cards, like the old cards, is the date each beneficiary was or is eligible for Medicare.

Starting April 2018, CMS will begin mailing new Medicare cards to all people with Medicare on a flow basis by geographic location and other factors. People with Medicare will be able to check the status of card mailings in their area on Medicare.gov.

New York Medicare Card Holders will receive their cards by mail after June 2018

Watch this video to learn more: https://youtu.be/DusRmgzQnLY