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New Medicare Card Mailing Update – Wave 3 Begins, Wave 1 Ends



New Medicare Card Mailing Update – Wave 3 Begins, Wave 1 Ends

We started mailing new Medicare cards to people with Medicare who live in Wave 3 states: Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wisconsin.  We continue to mail new cards to people who live in Wave 2 states and territories (Alaska, American Samoa, California, Guam, Hawaii, Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon), as well as nationwide to people who are new to Medicare. 

We finished mailing most cards to people with Medicare who live in Wave 1 states: Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.  If someone with Medicare says they did not get a card:

  • Print and give them the “Still Waiting for Your New Card?” handout (in English or Spanish).
  • Or tell them to call 1-800-Medicare (1-800-633-4227). There might be something that needs to be corrected, such as updating their mailing address. 

All Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) secure portal Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) look-up tools are ready for use. If you do not already have access, sign up for your MAC’s portal to use the tool. Once we mail the new Medicare card with the MBI to your patient, you can look up MBIs for your Medicare patients when they do not or cannot give them. If the tool indicates the card has not been mailed for your Medicare patient who lives in a geographic location where the card mailing is finished, tell your patient to call 1-800-Medicare (1-800-633-4227).

To ensure people with Medicare continue to get health care services, continue to use the Health Insurance Claim Number (HICN) through December 31, 2019 or until your patient brings in their new card with the new number. 

Check this website as the mailings progress. Continue to direct people with Medicare to Medicare.gov/NewCard for information about the mailings and to sign up to get email about the status of card mailings in their state. 

We’re committed to mailing new cards to all people with Medicare by April 2019. 



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