No new cards are being issued for 2025 or any upcoming year unless you personally request a replacement or are notified by Medicare. Medicare will never call, text, or email you asking for your Medicare number, Social Security number, or bank information to send you a new card.
Your card will never be arbitrarily deactivated, and no Medicare representatives should call you unless you call them first. If you get a call like this, knowing the safety tips below can help protect your information. We recommend that you treat your Medicare card like your social security card.
Yes, the Medicare Part D donut hole (coverage gap) is officially gone as of January 1, 2025, eliminated by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), simplifying coverage into three phases: deductible, initial coverage, and catastrophic, with a new $2,000 out-of-pocket spending cap for covered drugs in 2025.
Why did I get it? Your Medicare coverage, Medicare Number, or name changed, or you (or someone on your behalf) asked for a new Medicare card.
No new cards are being issued for 2025 or any upcoming year unless you personally request a replacement or are notified by Medicare. Medicare will never call, text, or email you asking for your Medicare number, Social Security number, or bank information to send you a new card.
To help protect your identity, Medicare is removing Social Security numbers from Medicare cards. Instead, the new cards will have a unique Medicare Number. This will happen automatically. You don't need to do anything or pay anyone to get your new card.
In 2025, the standard Medicare Part B premium is $185 per month, with an annual deductible of $257, though higher-income earners pay more (Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount or IRMAA), and some with Social Security benefits pay less due to the "hold harmless" rule.
In 2026, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is ending a program called the Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) model. This program helped health plans give extra non-medical benefits, like credits for healthy food and utilities.
Tips on How to Avoid the Donut Hole Coverage Gap
Discuss lower-cost drug alternatives with your healthcare professionals. Seek out discounts on medications. Choose generic drugs over brand-name drugs. Opt for in-network pharmacies only.
In 2026, the limit on out-of-pocket prescription drug spending will increase to $2,100, up from $2,000 in 2025. Once beneficiaries pay a plan's full deductible, they will owe 25% of the cost of coinsurance until the $2,100 cap is reached.
The extra $144 added to Social Security usually comes from the Medicare Part B Giveback benefit, offered by some Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans, which pays back some or all your Part B premium, showing up as extra money in your check if it's deducted from your Social Security. To qualify, you need Original Medicare (Parts A & B), pay your own Part B premium, live in a plan's service area, and enroll in a specific Medicare Advantage plan that offers this "rebate," with the amount varying by plan and location.
In November 2025, the full retirement age (FRA) — the age at which individuals qualify to receive 100% of their Social Security benefits — increased to 66 years and 10 months for those born in 1959. FRA gradually rises month by month, so in November 2025, those born in January 1959 reached their FRA.
CMS promptly launched an investigation and discovered that malicious actors had fraudulently created new accounts between 2023 and 2025 using valid beneficiary information, including Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers (MBI), coverage start date, last name, date of birth, and zip code.
Rather than basing your Medicare number on your social security number, each new card contains a Medicare number that is unique to each person with Medicare. Your social security number is a valuable piece of information to those who seek to steal a person's identity.
Your CalPERS health coverage will automatically be canceled the first day of the month after you turn 65. Review Cancellation of CalPERS Health Coverage for information on reinstating your health coverage.
For the average retired worker, the 2.8 percent COLA is expected to increase their monthly benefit by about $56. This will raise the average payment from approximately $2,008 in 2025 to about $2,064 in 2026. Social Security retirement beneficiaries will see this increase reflected in their January 2026 payments.
Medicare has not announced plans to release new cards for beneficiaries, with the last major Medicare card update carried out in 2018. If somebody contacts you claiming they can send you a new card, they're likely running a scam.
How do you get another Medicare card? My card is lost or damaged — Log into (or create) your secure Medicare account to print or order an official copy of your Medicare card. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to order a replacement card to be sent in the mail. TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048.
Yes, Medicare automatically sends you a card if you're already getting Social Security or Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) benefits when you turn 65 or qualify for disability, typically arriving three months before coverage starts; otherwise, you'll get your card within about two weeks after you sign up. It's a red, white, and blue card for Original Medicare (Parts A & B), and you'll get separate cards from private insurers if you enroll in Medicare Advantage (Part C) or Part D plans.