The following message was distributed via the CMS MLN Connects list-serve on 7/23/18 :
CMS started mailing new Medicare cards to people with Medicare who live in Wave 4 states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. We continue to mail new cards to people who live in Wave 3 states, as well as nationwide to people who are new to Medicare.
We finished mailing cards to people with Medicare who live in Wave 1 and Wave 2 states and territories (Alaska, American Samoa, California, Delaware, District of Columbia, Guam, Hawaii, Maryland, Northern Mariana Islands, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Virginia, and West Virginia). If someone with Medicare says they did not get a card, print and give them the “Still Waiting for Your New Card?” handout (in English or Spanish) or instruct them to:
To ensure that people with Medicare continue to get care, health care providers and suppliers can use either the former Social Security number-based Health Insurance Claim Number or the new alpha-numeric Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) for all Medicare transactions through December 31, 2019.
Check the mailing strategy as the mailings progress. Continue to direct people with Medicare to Medicare.gov/NewCard for information about the mailings and to sign up to get email about the status of card mailings in their state.
We are committed to mailing new cards to all people with Medicare by April 2019.
Information on the transition to the new MBI: