Medicare Nation

Hey Medicare Nation! I hope everyone is having an awesome week! Say goodbye to February! I know all of you Northerners are thrilled to see it go! Bring it on March! You know, I see many, many clients and one of the top questions I am asked is, "What does the letter on my Medicare ID card mean?" It happens so often, I figured I better dedicate an episode to just that! The Social Security Administration (SSA) assigns a letter and a number, (if you fit into a sub-group) when you apply for Social Security Benefits and/or Medicare. The letter (and number if it applies) is found on your Medicare ID Card, right after your social security number. As an example, if you have worked and contributed to FICA (Federal Insurance Contribution Act), and started receiving your Social Security benefits at age 64, and you enrolled in Medicare at age 65, the letter "A" will be designated to you. The "claim" number would look like this on your Medicare ID Card: 123-45-6789A Just as "Different Strokes for different Folks," the Soci