This article comes from the Spring/Summer issue of the
Healthy Times newsletter, published by The Arc of
A NEW
PLASTIC ID CARD FOR MEDICAID BENEFICIARIES
By
The
NJ Family Care/Medicaid program is replacing its blue and pink paper Medicaid
eligibility identification cards, which were mailed every month, with a Health
Benefits Identification (HBID) card.
The new card is a permanent, plastic magnetic stripe card (similar in
size and shape to a credit card).
NJ
Medicaid and Family Care beneficiaries living in
Important facts about the new Health Benefits
Identification (HBID) card
·
There will be no
change in Medicaid services.
·
The card is for
identification purposes only.
Providers will verify eligibility.
·
The HBID card is
a technology upgrade, not a policy change.
·
People receiving
the HBID card should use it the same way they have been using their monthly
paper Medicaid card.
·
Each eligible
family member will receive his or her own card.
·
The HBID card
is needed only when accessing services from providers
(including pharmacists) in the Medicaid fee-for-service system.
Beneficiaries who are in a Medicaid HMO will continue to show their
Medicaid HMO card (not the new HBID card) when they go to a provider's office
or to the hospital.
The Medicaid number and the Medicare number (if
applicable) will not be printed on the new HBID card
Some dually
eligible consumers who had lost their Medicare card have been showing the blue
monthly Medicaid card to the doctor's office because the Medicare number is
printed on it. Although the new HBID card does contain an identification
number, it is not the
beneficiary’s Medicaid number. Neither the Medicaid number nor the
Medicare number (for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid) will appear on
this new card. Therefore, provider agencies or families who have
been relying on the Medicaid card as
documentation of a dual eligible’s Medicare
status may want to contact Social Security to request a duplicate of the
Medicare card. There is no charge for a duplicate Medicare card which can be requested
by calling Social Security at 1-800-772-1213. The caller will
need to know the consumer’s Social Security number and Medicare
number. It will take approximately four weeks for the duplicate card to
arrive, and Social Security will mail it to the address that they have on file
for that individual. Anyone can
request a duplicate Medicare card; the request does not need to be
made by the consumer’s representative payee or guardian.
What types of problems could occur with the new
Medicaid HBID card?
NJ Medicaid is reaching out to providers to inform
them about the new HBID card.
However, with the start-up of any large-scale systems improvement, there
is always the possibility of a glitch.
It is possible that some health care providers who are not familiar with
the HBID card may be stymied by the fact that the Medicaid number does not appear
on the new card.
Typically, if a doctor’s office refuses to
provide service to a beneficiary who has the HBID card,
it is because the staff do not realize that they can easily verify the
person’s continuing eligibility for Medicaid by calling the REVS phone
number. If this problem
occurs, the solution is to show the doctor’s office staff the reverse
side of the HBID card, which provides the Recipient Eligibility Verification
System (REVS) information. The REVS phone number-- 800-676-6562 -- is printed
on the back of every HBID card.
When a beneficiary shows a health care provider an HBID card, the
provider can quickly verify the person’s eligibility for Medicaid by
using the automated REVS system.
When health care providers call REVS, they can enter the number that is
on the front of the HBID card; or enter the Medicaid number if
they know that number; or enter the
client’s name and the birth date.
The HBID card will be automatically activated the first time a provider
contacts REVS to verify a person's Medicaid eligibility.
If a Medicaid beneficiary has a problem with the new
HBID card, assistance is available from the Medicaid hotline (1-800-356-1561),
or from the