What to Expect
Your card has a Medicare Number that’s unique to you — it’s not your Social Security Number. This helps protect your identity.
The card shows:
Once you’re signed up for Medicare, CMS will mail you your Medicare card in your welcome packet.
You’ll need the information on your Medicare card to join a Medicare health or drug plan or buy Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap), so keep your Medicare card in a safe place.
If you have Original Medicare:
If you join a Medicare Advantage Plan or other Medicare health plan:
Don’t share your Medicare Number or other personal information with anyone who contacts you by phone, email, or in person, unless you contacted them first and gave them permission to contact you.
If someone calls and asks for your information, for money, or threatens to cancel your health benefits, hang up and call us 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). TTY: 1-877-486-2048.
Medicare will never call you uninvited and ask you to give us personal or private information. Always look for the Social Security Eagle Emblem. If it doesn’t have that then odds are it is an advertisement or a scam.
If you get benefits from the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB), your Medicare card will have the RRB emblem at the top and say “Railroad Retirement Board” at the bottom.
If you think that someone else is using your Medicare Number, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). If you suspect identity theft, or feel like you gave your personal information to someone you shouldn’t have, contact the Federal Trade Commission.
Log into (or create) your Medicare account to print an official copy of your Medicare card. You can also call us at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to order a replacement card. TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048.