Medicare Uses Social Security Number

Added June 7, 2006 by Ilyce R. Glink

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Summary: Medicare may use your social security number to identify you. This Medicare patient is frustrated that Medicare is using her Social Security number on mailings that are out in the open. It's important to take action so Medicare understands the potential problems of using Social Security numbers so openly.

Q: My husband and I have always guarded our Social Security numbers in an effort to protect against identity theft. However, we find that doctors forms often ask for that number, and we have been told that the paperwork cannot be properly handled if the number is not there.

Now, since my husband is on Medicare, we find that his Social Security number is a part of his Medicare number, and that number is appearing on mail addressed to us, it is asked for on return postcards that can be viewed by anyone, and we are concerned. What can we do to better protect ourselves in view of these unprotected uses of the number?

A: There's nothing you can do when it comes to Medicare and your social security number. I have been trying to get Medicare to listen to complaints about this. I suppose we will have to launch a petition nationwide to get the federal government to realize how at risk seniors are because of this insanity.

Keep watching the site and I'll have something that people can sign up for in the next few weeks.

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