MISSOULA, Mont. (NMB) – As the result of recent fraud takedowns, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services identified a group of beneficiaries whose Medicare numbers were being fraudulently used to bill Medicare for unnecessary medical equipment and services. This was not due to a breach of personal information. To protect them from continued Medicare fraud, CMS gave them new Medicare numbers.
New cards with new numbers for affected beneficiaries will arrive with an accompanying letter that explains the situation and further actions to take. The majority of beneficiaries should have received their new cards already. This should not impact their access to care or ability to enroll in Medicare plans during Open Enrollment.
When people receive their new card in the mail, they should securely destroy their old card, share their new Medicare number with the health care providers, start using their new card immediately, and protect their Medicare number just like a credit card.
