New Medicare card replaces Social Security numbers with account numbers

Sample of new Medicare card

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a first look at the new Medicare card design.

The new card contains a unique, randomly assigned number that replaces consumers' Social Security numbers.

The purpose is to prevent fraud, combat identity theft and safeguard taxpayer dollars.

CMS will stagger the mailings of the new card to people with Medicare benefits, starting April 2018 through April 2019.

Learn more about the new Medicare card initiative and how to protect yourself from Medicare scams.