Your Medicare card is extremely important and should be handled with care as it is your confirmation of medical coverage. It contains information specific to you and your coverage like your Medicare ID number, and your Part A and B effective dates. If you lose it or damage it, it needs to be replaced immediately so you do not have issues receiving care. Below we will go over ways to obtain a replacement card if needed.
Online:
Beneficiaries are able to request a replacement through their account via medicare.gov. It is easy to follow the prompts provided for requesting a replacement through your portal, and often the turnaround time to receive it in the mail is quicker. You can also print out a interim copy of your card while you wait for it in the mail if need be.
Over-the-phone:
To request a new Medicare card over the phone call the SSA at 1-800-772-1213. You will need to know your Medicare number along with other personal information in order to confirm your identity and make the replacement.
Confirming Address:
It is important to confirm the address to which the replacement card is being sent, as they will send it to whatever address was on file for the first card you received. If you moved this could be an issue, so make sure you confirm the address of shipment.
The last part of ordering a replacement card is just to be patient for your card arriving in the mail. Shipping times vary depending on how busy the SSA is at the time of verifying the request before shipping out your replacement.
