What Should You Do If You Lose Your Medicare Card?

In late January, I talked with Invoice, a consumer whose job, alongside along with his healthcare insurance coverage, was eradicated and he wants Medicare by March 1.

My first query was, “Are you enrolled in any a part of Medicare?”

He replied that Social Safety enrolled him in Half A, hospital insurance coverage, when he signed up for retirement advantages. (He was over 65 when he utilized for advantages so Social Safety enrolled him routinely in Half A.)

Now, he must enroll in Half B, medical insurance coverage. That course of requires Invoice to submit two types to Social Safety: the CMS-40B, “Software for Enrollment in Medicare Half B (Medical Insurance coverage),” and the CMS-L564, “Request for Employment Data.”

Sadly, he was tripped up by the primary line on the CMS-40B kind, “Your Medicare Quantity.” He didn’t have the cardboard in his pockets. The following day, he reported that he had seemed excessive and low and couldn’t discover the cardboard. How may he get a brand new one?

A misplaced Medicare card just isn’t a uncommon incidence. It’s a small piece of unlaminated paper that may find yourself within the laundry, misplaced in a pocket, or put in such a secure place that you would be able to’t discover it. When you search the web for “substitute Medicare card,” the highest outcomes will possible be from medicare.gov and ssa.gov, telling you to simply “Log into (or create) your safe Medicare account to print or order an official copy of your Medicare card.”

Invoice doesn’t have a Medicare.gov account so he needed to create one. And, as soon as once more, he tripped. He shortly found that he additionally wanted his Medicare Half A quantity to do that. Invoice may name Social Safety at (800) 772-1213 or go to the workplace to get his Medicare quantity. However, since he has by no means had success getting via on the cellphone and the workplace is about 45 minutes from his dwelling, he wanted one other method to get the quantity.

I informed Invoice that his Profit Verification Letter from Social Safety comprises his Medicare quantity. If he can’t discover that, he may log into his my Social Safety account, click on on Profit Verification Letter, and scroll right down to someplace within the second web page. However this wasn’t going to work as a result of he by no means created an account. I gave him the directions and stated that might additionally take time as a result of Social Safety makes use of a service to confirm the applicant’s identification. After his identification is confirmed, he has the choice to obtain the account activation code by mail, textual content message, or automated voice message. (He mustn’t select mail.) As soon as he receives the code, he can activate his my Social Safety account, retrieve the Medicare quantity, and get his enrollment began.

The best way to keep away from the problems that tripped up Invoice

• Arrange a my Social Safety account right this moment, even when Medicare just isn’t in your foreseeable future. Comply with the step-by-step directions on the Social Safety web site. With this account, you are able to do rather more than simply discover your Medicare quantity.

• Replace info in your Social Safety account, together with adjustments in tackle or private info, marital standing, identify, and direct deposit

• Create a Medicare.gov account. You want a Medicare quantity for this. Then, you’ll be able to examine the main points of your enrollment and present Medicare protection, examine the standing of claims, assessment well being information, and extra.

• Shield your Medicare card. Deal with it like a bank card. Put it someplace secure that you just’ll bear in mind. Don’t ever give out your quantity besides to your physician or different Medicare suppliers.

• When it’s time to deal with Medicare, give your self sufficient time, if in any respect doable.

Little doubt Invoice should have felt as if he was stranded in the course of a mine area when he couldn’t discover his Medicare card. The straightforward steps above will show you how to keep away from that lost-and-lonely feeling when mandatory info just isn’t proper at hand.