Since I will be officially joining the "old" folks in March, I applied for Medicare in December. Ten days later, they sent me a new Social Security card. A month later, they said my Medicare application was approved and expect to receive detailed info/notice in 10 - 15 days.

I didn't apply for a new SS card. I even brought my original (from almost 50 years ago) and showed it to them.

Questions: Why did they send me a new SS card? Is this standard protocol for new Medicare applicants? I guess I can go ahead and shred the old card?

Clerical error?

When I signed up in 2017 and produced my card circa 1964 the person that processed my paperwork said “You’ve had this one awhile.”

I didn’t receive a new card, all I got in the mail was my Medicare card.

The new card still keeps your original number, right?

Medicare is designed so that the older you get, the more confusing it becomes. Further proof that our government hates us.

Are you still working? If so, you don't have to move to Medicare if you're still covered via health care policies at work.

I did not get a new Social Security card when I applied for Medicare.

I still have my original SS card from mid sixties, on the bottom of the card it says
For Social Security and Tax Purposes-Not for Identification.
And it has about my third grade signature on it!

quote:

Originally posted by SigSAC:
Are you still working? If so, you don't have to move to Medicare if you're still covered via health care policies at work.

But why in the world would you NOT? Mcare will cover as secondary and you avoid any issues related to late enrollment.

quote:

Originally posted by SigSAC:
Are you still working? If so, you don't have to move to Medicare if you're still covered via health care policies at work.

I did not get a new Social Security card when I applied for Medicare.

I'll be doing this in June, I was told you have to get Part A but B could be put off if you have other insurance.

I guess I'm going to wait until they send me all the stuff in a week or two to see if the Medicare card is in there. If not, I'll be making another trip to their office to straighten things out.

I applied for Part A online at the end of December. Neither Medicare nor new Social Security card as of yet.

quote:

Originally posted by mark60:

quote:

Originally posted by SigSAC:
Are you still working? If so, you don't have to move to Medicare if you're still covered via health care policies at work.

I did not get a new Social Security card when I applied for Medicare.

I'll be doing this in June, I was told you have to get Part A but B could be put off if you have other insurance.

That’s correct. Sign up for Part A as soon as you’re eligible since there’s no cost to you to do so, but you can hold off getting Part B as long as you maintain other insurance while you’re still working (or your spouse’s insurance is covering you). And no new SS cards when wife and I signed up for Medicare 7 years ago.

Q,
Call HICAP, 800-252-9240 for unbiased, free and confidential help for all things Medicare related in Texas.
Wife is very experienced in this arena and indicates you shouldn't have received a new SS card, even one with the same number.
Perhaps they will help you shed some light on the subject. As others indicate, I suspect a clerical error on their (or possibly your) part as getting set up is somewhat complicated.
They are a really good resource for making sure you have all the T's crossed and I's dotted.
You can also call 1-800 Medicare to make sure they have created your Medicare number.

I just went through this with my wife, who became a citizen a few decades ago.

She did not receive a new SS card.

Her Medicare card didn’t show up until 9 days after her 65th birthday, on the 20th of the month.

Her first social security deposit came in a month before her 65th birthday, a couple weeks after we filed.

Social security deposit took three weeks. Medicare card was around 7 weeks, but could have been that it wasn’t issued until the first of the month that she had Medicare.

As long as the number is the same don't worry about it . If your old card said " Not for Identification " on the bottom then be glad you got a new one . A lot of folks do not understand what that actually means .

When I applied for Medicare two years ago I did it all online. It took a few days for the approval to come back, and the paperwork showed up in the mail in about (IIRC) three weeks or so. I did not receive a new SS card, still only have the one I got when I was in high school.

quote:

Are you still working? If so, you don't have to move to Medicare if you're still covered via health care policies at work.

quote:

Q,
Call HICAP, 800-252-9240 for unbiased, free and confidential help for all things Medicare related in Texas.
Wife is very experienced in this arena and indicates you shouldn't have received a new SS card, even one with the same number.
Perhaps they will help you shed some light on the subject. As others indicate, I suspect a clerical error on their (or possibly your) part as getting set up is somewhat complicated.
They are a really good resource for making sure you have all the T's crossed and I's dotted.
You can also call 1-800 Medicare to make sure they have created your Medicare number.

^^^^^
Yep right answer. Be sure and check this out.

I will be 65 in March also. I got my Medicare card in November.I didn't even apply,however I retired early 2 years ago and have been receiving social security.

Fuck that, applying in person. I went to the office to do just that and there were hundreds of “Medicare grifters” ahead of me. Call them or ask questions on line. You might live long enough to get them answered that way.

RMD

SSA employee for 44 years. I have never heard of anyone receiving a new SS card without applying for it. Never. It's hard for me to imagine even how this could happen via a clerical error. Is it your correct SS number? Is it a valid SSA issued SS card? Any chance it's some sort of junk mail solicitation not from SSA? Sorry I couldn't be more helpful in that regard. No harm in contacting SSA and inquiring about it.

If you collect SSA benefits prior to age 65, SSA DOES issue Medicare Cards upon attainment of age 65, even if you don't request it. Here is why. Somewhere around 95% of people who collect SSA benefits prior to age 65 do want Medicare A and B when they reach age 65. So rather than make all of those literally millions of people sign up, these people are automatically enrolled. If you DON'T want it, then you have to contact SSA to decline it. The card you get automatically explains how to indicate that you don't want it (or don't want just part B). If you are wondering why it's done that way, you have to understand that forcing all those people to apply would actually be much more expensive that how it is done currently. Your talking about 10's of thousands of phone calls, visits to field offices, labor to process the enrollments etc. It makes good business sense to do it the way it's done currently.

When I applied for Medicare, I brought my SS card. They did give me a new Social Security card becaus my dad had my original one laminated.

So, 12131, on the off-chance, was your social security card laminated, too?

But when they gave me the new card, same number, the woman told me why.

1. Applied for Medicare, not SS card, online, on Dec 11.

2. Next day, received a call from the local SSA office to bring in identifying docs.

3. Brought in the papers (Cert. of Naturalization & TX DL) the next day (Dec 13). Even brought the original SS card and showed them.

4. The woman made copies, sat there and typed whatever that she typed, then printed out and gave me the receipt. Being so happy after sitting waiting for hours, so I was an idiot, didn't even look at it and rushed home. Finally reading it at home, it said that I applied for a SS card, and that I should receive it in 2 weeks. What?

5. However, checking their website showed confirmation of my Medicare application is at Step 2 (being reviewed).

6. In the meantime, I received the new SS card 10 days after my Medicare application was submitted. Yes, it came from the SSA and has the same number as the original one. Since the Medicare application has been confirmed as submitted and being reviewed, my older brother said just wait a see, because the application process takes about a month for completion. So, I waited, and 3 days ago, checking their website shows that my Medicare application was approved and expect to receive detailed info/notice in 10 - 15 days.

So, that's where I'm at right now. So, my plan is to wait for the next info/notice they will send to see if the Medicare card is in there. If it's there, case closed. If not there, I will make another trek to their office (thankfully just a couple miles from the house) to straighten things out.

Thanks, Powers77, for those info, which will come in handy for sure.