Beware: Medicare Cards Pose Identity-Theft RiskBy Jane Zhang Most seniors keep their Medicare card in their wallet to ensure access to medical care, but the practice also carries risk of identity theft.
That's because Medicare cards, issued by the federal insurance program for the elderly and disabled, display Social Security numbers -- which a thief can use to open new credit or other financial accounts if a person's wallet or purse is stolen.
There are efforts in Washington to get Social Security numbers off Medicare cards, but action doesn't appear imminent.
Several bills are pending in Congress to force Medicare to drop Social Security numbers from the Medicare card, but action is unlikely before next year.
Chief Operating Officer Charlene Frizzera at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the agency that runs Medicare, advises beneficiaries carry their cards only when they are visiting a new doctor or traveling out of the country. She also suggested carrying a photocopy instead of the original card with the first five numbers blacked out.
That contradicts the instructions on the back of the Medicare card to carry it whenever not at home.
Gail Hillebrand, senior attorney of Consumers Union, calls this suggestion from Ms. Frizzera unrealistic, because doctors and hospitals often ask Medicare recipients for the card -- and might not be satisfied with a partial copy. "What if they get hit by a bus and don't have the card?" she asks.
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