Your Medicare Card: What's On It & How to Use It
A plain-English guide to your red, white, and blue Medicare card: what the number means, when it arrives, how it differs from your plan card, and how to replace a lost card for free.
Your Medicare card is the red, white, and blue Medicare card proving you have Original Medicare. It carries your name, a unique Medicare number, and the dates each part of your coverage began. It is not your Social Security card, and it is not the same as a Medicare Advantage or drug plan card.
What is on it
The card is deliberately simple, and issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. It lists:
- Your name, as the Social Security Administration holds it.
- Your Medicare number, formally the Medicare Beneficiary Identifier or MBI.
- What you have: "HOSPITAL (PART A)" and "MEDICAL (PART B)."
- The effective date of each part.
Medicare Part A is your hospital insurance, covering inpatient stays and some skilled nursing facility care. Part B is your medical insurance, covering doctor visits and outpatient care.
It is paper rather than plastic, horizontal, with red and blue lettering on white. There is no photo and no chip. Anyone offering to sell you an official plastic or metal version is running a scam, and CMS does not issue one.
What the number means
The MBI is an 11-character mix of letters and digits, randomly assigned, and used by providers to bill for your care.
It is not your SSN. Cards issued before 2019 used a number derived from your Social Security number; every one was reissued with a random identifier to reduce Medicare fraud. An old SSN-based card should be shredded.
When it arrives
- Already drawing Social Security, or benefits from the Railroad Retirement Board, at 65? Medicare enrollment is automatic and your Medicare card is mailed about three months before your birthday.
- Not yet drawing benefits? Nothing is automatic. You sign up during your Initial Enrollment Period and a new Medicare card follows within a few weeks. A new Medicare card is also issued if your coverage changes.
- Qualifying through disability? It comes after 24 months of Social Security disability benefits.
New to this? See our complete guide to turning 65 and how to apply for Medicare.
Which card to show
This is where people get confused. Join a Medicare Advantage plan or a standalone Part D plan and the private insurer sends a separate card, which becomes the one you use. You can change that plan each year during open enrollment.
| Card | Issued by | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Red, white, and blue | The federal program | Proof of Part A and Part B, on Original Medicare |
| Medicare Advantage (Part C) | Private insurer | All care under the plan. Use this instead. |
| Part D drug plan | Private insurer | Prescriptions at the pharmacy |
| Medigap | Private insurer | Secondary coverage, shown alongside the red, white, and blue one |
So: on a Medicare Advantage plan, carry the plan card and keep your Medicare card safe at home. On Original Medicare, with or without Medigap, carry the red, white, and blue one. Leaving at home the card you do not need also reduces the chance of losing the number printed on it.
Replacing a lost or stolen card
Replacing a Medicare card is always free. A replacement Medicare card can be ordered three ways, and our full walkthrough covers each in detail:
- Online, fastest. Sign in at Medicare.gov, where you can view the number immediately, print an official copy, or order one by post. Setting up a MyMedicare.gov account takes a few minutes; see our step-by-step guide.
- By phone. Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), 24 hours a day.
- Through Social Security. Request one from your my Social Security account at SSA.gov, by calling 1-800-772-1213, or at a local Social Security office.
A mailed replacement Medicare card takes about 30 days. If yours was stolen rather than lost, order it and then review your Medicare statements for services you do not recognize.
Protecting your number
Treat the number like a credit card number.
- Medicare will never call, text, or email to ask for it, or to demand payment for a new card.
- Share it only with your doctors, pharmacists, and plans.
- Report anything suspicious to 1-800-MEDICARE, and report suspected Medicare fraud to the same line.
Frequently asked questions
What is the number on my card?
Your Medicare Beneficiary Identifier, an 11-character code assigned only to you and used to bill for your care.
Does it show my Social Security number?
No. Cards issued since 2019 use a random MBI instead, specifically to reduce identity theft. Shred any older SSN-based card.
When will I get it?
About three months before you turn 65 if you already collect Social Security. Otherwise it follows your Medicare enrollment, usually within a few weeks.
Do I need to carry it?
Carry whichever card you actually use for care. On Medicare Advantage that is the plan card; on Original Medicare it is the red, white, and blue one.
How do I get a replacement?
Free, from your Medicare.gov account, by calling 1-800-MEDICARE, or through the Social Security Administration. A mailed one takes roughly 30 days.
Is it the same as my insurance card?
On Original Medicare, yes, it is your proof of coverage. On a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan, the insurer's card is the one you use.
Talk to a licensed Medicare advocate
Unsure which card to show, or setting up coverage for the first time? A licensed Medicare Advocate can walk you through it, at no cost and with no pressure to enroll.