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CMS offers look at new Medicare card

CMS offers look at new Medicare card

WASHINGTON - CMS has unveiled its newly designed Medicare card. The new card contains a unique, randomly assigned number that replaces the current Social Security-based number. “The goal of the initiative to remove Social Security numbers from Medicare cards is to help prevent fraud, combat identify theft, and safeguard taxpayer dollars,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma, in a press release. CMS will begin mailing the new cards to people in April 2018 and must replace all existing Medicare cards by April 2019. Healthcare providers and people with Medicare will be able to use secure look-up tools that will allow quick access to the new Medicare numbers when needed. There will also be a 21-month transition period where doctors, healthcare providers and suppliers will be able to use either their current SSN-based Medicare number or their new, unique Medicare number, to ease the transition.

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