New Medicare Cards

UPDATE: South Carolina Medicare beneficiaries should begin to receive new cards in June, 2018. Read the release from SC Department of Health and Human Services.

Starting April 2018, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will begin mailing new Medicare cards to all people with Medicare.

Instead of a Social Security Number, the new card will have a Medicare Number that’s unique to each person with Medicare. The new card will help protect identities and keep personal information more secure. Medicare coverage and benefits will stay the same.

Medicare will automatically mail new cards at no cost to the address on file here at Social Security. So making sure the address of anyone you’re helping is up-to-date is important. An address can be updated easily by signing in to or creating a my Social Security account.

As consumers begin to receive cards, we ask that you share these three important tips with them:
1. Destroy your old Medicare card right away.
2. Use your new card. Doctors, other health care providers, and plans approved by Medicare know that Medicare is replacing the old cards. They are ready to accept your new card when you need care.
3. Beware of people contacting you about your new Medicare card and asking you for your Medicare Number, personal information, or to pay a fee for your new card. Treat your Medicare Number like you treat your Social Security or credit card numbers. Remember, Medicare will never contact you uninvited to ask for your personal information.
Please share this information through your networks. For more information about the new Medicare card, click here.