Non-Substantive Change

Non-substantive Change for 0938-1197
Background
Since the inception of the Medicare program in 1965, CMS and its program stakeholders [e.g.,
health care providers, Social Security Administration (SSA), Railroad Retirement Board
(RRB), State Medicaid programs, payers, and researchers] have used a Social Security Number
(SSN)- based identifier when filing and processing all Medicare claims and when exchanging
data related to the Medicare program. This identifier, referred to as the Health Insurance Claim
Number (HICN), is displayed on beneficiaries’ Medicare cards and consists of an individual’s
SSN along with a supplemental code.
On April 16, 2015, President Obama signed the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization
Act (MACRA) of 2015. Section 501 of this legislation prohibits inclusion of SSNs on Medicare
cards and specifically states that “The Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultatio n
with the Commissioner of Social Security, shall establish cost-effective procedures to ensure
that a Social Security account number (or derivative thereof) is not displayed, coded, or
embedded on the Medicare card issued to an individual who is entitled to benefits under part A
of title XVIII or enrolled under part B of title XVIII and that any other identifier displayed o n
such card is not identifiable as a Social Security account number (or derivative thereof).”
MACRA requires CMS to remove SSNs from all Medicare cards by April 2019. A new
randomly generated Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) will replace the SSN-based HICN
on the new Medicare cards for Medicare transactions like billing, eligibility status, and claim
status.
Changes to the Form CMS-1490S
CMS
Location of Change to Form
Number
Page 1, Section1, Block 2: Print your Health
CMS
Insurance Claim Number including the letter
1490S at the end exactly as it is shown on your
Medicare card.
CMS
1490S

CMS
1490S

Description of Change
The term “Health Insurance Claim
Number” was replaced with the term
“Medicare Number.”

The instructions were revised to state
Page 6, Section 1: Print your Health Insurance
“Print your Medicare Number exactly as
Claim Number including the letter at the end
it is shown on the Medicare card.”
With one exception, which is discussed below,
there are no penalties under Social Security
law for refusing to supply information.
However, failure to furnish information
The term “Claim Number” was replaced
regarding the medical services rendered or the
with “name or Medicare number.”
amount charged would prevent payment of the
claim. Failure to furnish any other information,
such as name or claim number, would delay
payment of the claim.

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