Lost Your Medicare Card? How to Replace It and Guard Your Number

To replace a lost Medicare card, sign in to your Medicare.gov account and print an official copy the same day. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE to order a new card by mail. A mailed card usually arrives in about 30 days.

Key takeaways

• Sign in to your Medicare.gov account to view or print an official copy of your card right away.
• Call 1-800-MEDICARE to have a new paper card mailed to your home.
• Update your mailing address with Social Security before you order a mailed card.
• Check each Medicare Summary Notice (the statement that lists services billed to Medicare) for charges you do not recognize.
• Guard your Medicare Number like a credit card number to help prevent fraud.

How do you replace a lost card online?

Your Medicare.gov account gives you proof of coverage the same day your card goes missing. You can view, save or print an official copy from a computer or phone. Doctors and pharmacies accept this printed copy like the plastic card.

Setting up an account takes a few minutes if you do not have one yet. You can sign in through Login.gov, a sign-in service run by the federal government. You will be asked for details such as your name, birth date and Medicare Number.

Once you sign in, open the section that shows your card and download an official copy. Print one for your folder and keep the file on a password-protected phone.

How do you get a new card by mail?

You can order a physical card by phone without using a computer. Call 1-800-MEDICARE and tell the representative your card is lost. They can order a new paper card for you.

The new card goes to the address Social Security has on file. If you moved recently, update that address first.

Delivery usually takes about 30 days. If a doctor visit is coming up, print a copy from your online account in the meantime. If your card was damaged instead of lost, the steps are the same.

How do you show coverage while waiting?

You can still see doctors and fill prescriptions while your new card is in the mail. Many offices accept a printout from your Medicare.gov account as official proof of coverage.

Your doctor's office can also check your coverage electronically. Ask the front desk to look up your Medicare status before your visit. This helps avoid delays at check-in or at the pharmacy counter.

Hospitals and outpatient centers may need formal proof if your card is missing. In that case, the billing office can contact Medicare to confirm your Part A (hospital insurance) and Part B (medical insurance) coverage.

What does your Medicare card show?

Your red, white and blue Medicare card lists your name and your Medicare Number. It also shows whether you have Part A, Part B or both, and the date each one started.

Your Medicare Number is a mix of numbers and capital letters. It is not your Social Security number. When your new card arrives, check each line. If your name or a start date looks wrong, call 1-800-MEDICARE to have it fixed.

What about your plan's member card?

Your red, white and blue card is for Original Medicare. If you have other coverage, that plan or insurer may give you a separate card too.

• Medicare Advantage (Part C): a private plan you can choose instead of Original Medicare. You usually show the plan's member card at visits.
• Part D (drug coverage): you show the drug plan's card at the pharmacy.
• Medigap (supplement insurance sold by private companies): the insurer sends its own card to show with your Medicare card.

So a lost wallet can mean more than one call. To replace a plan card, call the member services number in your plan's welcome packet or on its website. Card designs and steps vary by plan, carrier and location.

Keep your red, white and blue card even if you mostly use a plan card. You may still need it, for example if you later return to Original Medicare.

How do you update your name or address?

Medicare does not change your personal details directly. Your records are kept by the Social Security Administration. If you moved or changed your legal name, tell Social Security first.

You can update your address online through your my Social Security account (your personal account at ssa.gov). You can also call Social Security or visit a local office. A legal name change needs proof, such as a marriage certificate or court order.

Once Social Security updates your records, the change passes to Medicare. Wait for this before you order a new card. If you skip this step, your card may go to your old home. If that happens, call 1-800-MEDICARE, report it as lost and ask for a new one.

What if your Medicare number is exposed?

Your Medicare Number is private information. Protect it like a credit card or bank account number. Share it only with your doctors, pharmacists, insurers or people you trust to help with your care.

If you think someone stole or used your number, report it right away. Call 1-800-MEDICARE so the activity can be looked into.

Then read each Medicare Summary Notice closely when it arrives. Look for doctor visits, tests or supplies you never got. Catching an unknown charge early limits the harm.

How do you spot a Medicare scam call?

Scammers sometimes call and say they are from Medicare. They may offer medical supplies, a new card or a "refund" if you read them your number. Medicare will not call you uninvited to ask for your number, bank details or a payment.

Medical equipment Medicare pays for needs an order from your doctor. Our guide to medical equipment Medicare covers explains how suppliers work. A cold call from a supplier is a warning sign.

Be careful with emails and texts too. Do not click links that ask you to "confirm" your Medicare Number. Type Medicare.gov into your browser yourself instead.

If a caller pressures you, hang up. Then call 1-800-MEDICARE yourself to report the call.

How do you get a new Medicare number?

If your number was misused, Medicare can issue you a new one. Once you have a new number, the old one stops working. That blocks others from billing Medicare with it.

A new number also means a new card. Give the new number to your doctors, your pharmacy and any plan you belong to. Shred any old copies of your card.

A new number does not change your coverage. Your Part A and Part B start dates stay the same.

Where should you keep your card?

Carrying your card every day raises the chance of losing it. Many people keep it at home in a locked drawer or filing box instead.

Bring the card when you visit a new doctor or a hospital. The front desk can scan or copy it for your file. After that, put it back in its safe spot at home.

For daily errands, keep the official copy on a password-protected phone. If you have a plan card, you can carry that instead.

Why does checking your statements matter?

Statements show what was billed in your name. If you have Original Medicare, Medicare mails you a Medicare Summary Notice. Plans send their own statements, often called an Explanation of Benefits.

Look closely at three things on each statement: the date of service, the provider's name and what was billed. A date when you stayed home all day, or a provider you never saw, is worth a call to 1-800-MEDICARE.

Have questions? Call 1-877-443-3251 to talk it through with a licensed insurance agent. You never pay the agent; the plans they represent do, and the decision stays yours.

We do not offer every plan available in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options. Medicare has neither reviewed nor endorsed this information.