On Thursday鈥檚 St. Louis on the Air, host Don Marsh discussed a recent law regarding Medicare 鈥� new cards are being issued that exclude Social Security Numbers to address the current risk of medical identity theft. The new cards include a unique number for each beneficiary 鈥� 1.2 million people in Missouri.
Joining the discussion was Julie Brookhart, public affairs specialist for the . She described the recent changes as 鈥渁 long time coming.鈥�
Brookhart addressed what Medicare members need to know about the new cards, and urged them to be patient while cards get sent out throughout the month of November.
She recommended that people should 鈥渂lack out鈥� the numbers on the old cards and shred them. Brookhart also mentioned the new card design, what Medicare beneficiaries should do to ensure they receive their new card 鈥� and information about fraudulent marketing that has happened across the country as the cards mail out on a rolling basis.
Medicare Open Enrollment is currently active and ends Dec. 7.
Listen to the full discussion:
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