The Ce
nters for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) began mailing new Medicare cards in May to the first of seven “waves” of mailings, each of which has specific states assigned to it. Wave 2 card mailings have now begun, while mailings to people in Wave 1 states and those nationwide who are new to Medicare continue.
Medicare traditionally used a person’s Social Security number for their program identification number, and it was printed on Medicare cards. With the rise of identity theft and other scams in America, CMS is now issuing new Medicare numbers that are unique to each beneficiary. The new cards contain this number and are intended to replace existing cards.
Unfortunately, scammers often follow in the wake of big changes to programs, especially programs that serve older adults. CMS is warning Medicare beneficiaries to be wary of scams relating to the new card, and reminding people that Medicare will never call anyone uninvited and ask for personal or private information to get their new Medicare number and card.
Ohio is part of the seventh wave of mailings, which is the last. As of now, there is no designated date for the start of Wave 7 mailings. To know when you should expect your card to arrive, sign up for an email notification on the CMS website. This, and other important information about the new cards and instructions about what to do once a new card arrives, are located here.