Medicare Supplemental Insurance

Posts Tagged ‘Medicare ID Cards’

One of the fastest growing crimes today is Identity Theft, and with the fact that most seniors keep their medicare card in their purse or wallet to ensure their access to medical care, they also leave themselves open to identity theft.

The main reason is because the Medicare id cards are issued with the subscribers Social Security number – which could be used by a theif to open up new credit card, or other financial accounts if that wallet is lost or stolen.

There have been recent efforts in washington to get Social Security numbers off the Medicare cards, but so far the action has not been passed.

The good news is, almost all private health insurers, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Defense Department is issuing new healh-insurance cards with out the Social Security numbers on them.

Patrick O’Carroll, inspector general of the Social Security Administration, said in a  May report.”We believe immediate action is needed to address this significant vulnerability.”  He also said ” Displaying such information on Medicare cards unnecessarily places millions of individuals at risk for identity theft.”

With the growing number of seniors joining the Medicare program each year, the need for this change is becoming more important.

We recommend that you contact your local senitor and let them know you would like a different number on your Social Security card.

In the mean time, contact us for our Free Report on How You Can Protect Yourself From Identity Theft.