You may have noticed a letter at the end of your Medicare number and wondered what it stands for.
Your Medicare Claim Number is located on your Medicare card underneath the beneficiary’s name. Providers use this number to provide Medicare covered services. It is also the number you will provide to the Social Security Administration when discussing your Medicare account and terms. The first nine digits of your Medicare number should look familiar to you. Most times, they match your social security number. However, there are some cases where it will be the SSN of your spouse, parent or child instead.
Medicare Number Suffixes
After the numerical sequence, there will be a letter or a letter followed by another number. These codes indicate Medicare eligibility. For example, assume you are the wife (62 years or older) of the primary claimant, and your husband’s SSN is 555-55-5555. Your Medicare number would be 555-55-5555-B.
Below are some common Medicare codes and what they mean.
Relationships to the Primary Beneficiary Codes
The most common code is code “A”. This code indicates that the person is the primary beneficiary of Medicare. They are eligible for Medicare based on their own work history and contributions to the Medicare system (i.e., paying Medicare taxes for at least 40 quarters, or 10 years). This individual is the one whose Social Security Number (SSN) is on the Medicare card as the primary identifier.
Code “B” will appear on your if you are married to or divorced from the primary beneficiary. This code shows that you are receiving Medicare benefits through your spouse’s (or ex-spouse’s) eligibility.
If you are the biological or adopted child of the primary beneficiary, Code “C” will appear on your Medicare card. Suffixes following “C” further specify your relationship to the primary beneficiary in terms of birth order. Suffixes following “C” indicate your relationship to the primary claimant. “C1” means you are the first child, “C2” means you are the second child and so forth.
Code “D” indicates that you were once married to or divorced from a deceased primary beneficiary. It is a special designation used for widows, widowers, or divorced spouses who are eligible for Medicare based on the deceased spouse’s work record.
Eligibility due to Disability, or Special Circumstances
“H” indicates eligibility for Medicare due to a disability. “HA” will appear for the disabled claimant, while HB means you are the wife of a disabled claimant (62 or over). “HC” is for the child of a disabled claimant.
Codes “J” and “K” will indicate you are a special beneficiary based on your work history, or entitlement to Medicare Part A.
If a person is not eligible for Part B coverage but not Part A, Code “M” will appear on their card. If you are eligible for Part A but have refused it, the “M1” suffix will appear.
Medicare Claim Numbers ending in “T” mean you are eligible for for Medicare Part A, but not for retirement benefits. This could be because you suffer from chronic kidney disease, or have eligibility due to Medicare Qualified Government Employment (MQGE), or the spouse of a MQGE.
This chart is not a comprehensive list of Medicare codes
The codes at the end of your Medicare number are solely to indicate Medicare eligibility. The codes do not reflect what type of coverage you have enrolled in. If you are enrolled in Part A and/or Part B, this information will be on the front of your Medicare card under the heading “IS ENTITLED TO”. If you have enrolled in Medicare Part C (Medicare Advantage) or Part D (prescription drug coverage), this information will not appear anywhere on your Medicare card, but on a separate membership card that you receive after enrollment.
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