Newsletter

MEDICARE BENEFICIARY IDENTIFIERS (MBI) REISSUED FOR 1.3 MILLION BENEFICIARIES

Your MBI (your 11 randomly assigned digits and alphabetical Medicare number) is the number Medicare (CMS) and carriers use to process claims. CMS has announced that approximately 1.3 million beneficiaries will receive replacement Medicare numbers. While CMS did not specifically say why these cards were issued, most of these cards were reissued because of data breaches. These cards should have been received by the end of March and take effect April 14.

Steps To Take If You Receive A New MBI

• Keep the new card handy and show it at your next visit. Give the new MBI to your doctor, pharmacy, durable‑medical‑equipment supplier, and any Medicare Advantage or Medigap plan you use. Confirm they updated your record.

• Do not destroy the old card until providers confirm they have the new MBI. Once confirmed, shred or destroy the old card.

• Take a photo of the new card and store it in your phone for quick reference. Keep the physical card in a safe place.

• If a claim is denied because of an invalid number, ask the provider to resubmit the claim with the new MBI and keep written notes of calls, dates, and names. If needed, contact your plan’s member services and Medicare for help.

Watch For Scams And Verification Tips

Medicare will never call asking for payment to issue a new card. If someone asks for money or personal information to “activate” a card, hang up and verify directly with Medicare or your plan.

If you receive a suspicious letter or call about your new MBI, contact your plan or call us at 786-970-0740 before responding. Keep copies of any official CMS mail you receive.

MEDICARE OPEN ENROLLMENT ENDED MARCH 31

The Medicare Open Enrollment Period ended March 31. Between January 1 and March 31, 2026 beneficiaries with Medicare Advantage (MA) or Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug Plans (MAPD) had the opportunity to change to a different MA or MAPD plan or return to Original Medicare (and also enroll in a Medicare Supplement and/or stand-alone prescription drug plan). 

Those on Original Medicare (with or without stand-alone prescription drug coverage) could not make an election during the Open Enrollment Period.

As of today, those on Medicare Advantage or Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug plans can change to different MA or MAPD plans only if they are eligible for a special election period. Contact us at 786-970-0740 if you were unable to change plans during the Open Enrollment Period and want to determine under what circumstances you may qualify to change plans.

MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLAN TERMINATIONS IN 2025 

According to both the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) and the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), about 2.6 million Medicare Advantage/Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug (MA/MAPD) enrollees had plans terminated for 2026. This represents about 13% of MA/MAPD plan enrollment. This is more than a 100% increase from the 6% of plans that were terminated from these plans in 2024.

Nevertheless, total MA/MAPD plan enrollments actually increased for 2026. The increased enrollment occurred with “special needs plans” (i.e. dual special needs plans for those on both Medicare and Medicaid and chronic special needs plans for those with chronic disabilities such as diabetes, cardiovascular conditions, and lung disorders).

Members of terminated plans are given the option of enrolling in Medicare Supplement plans without having to answer health questions (i.e., no medical underwriting is involved). This led to record enrollments for a number of Medicare Supplement carriers during the annual enrollment period that ran between October 15 and December 7 for a January 1, 2026 effective date. Since carriers were required to accept all applicants of terminated plans irrespective of insurability, this has or will result in higher-than-normal Medicare Supplement premium increases by virtually every carrier.

A large number of the terminations that occurred in Florida involved PPO plans, and many HMO carriers that did not formerly require referrals previously implemented referral requirements for 2026.

It’s too early to predict what will happen in 2026 (regarding terminations effective January 1, 2027). We will keep you posted as developments occur.

About Paul Cholak

Paul is a licensed, independent health and life insurance agent and has over forty years of benefits experience and specializes in helping Medicare beneficiaries obtain health insurance. However, he offers a complete array of life and health insurance products to individuals of all ages.

He guides Medicare beneficiaries through the steps of getting insurance and is available to help clients both BEFORE and AFTER they've made their purchase decision.

Disclaimer for Part C and D plans: "We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY: 1-877-2048) to get information on all your options."

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