They’re coming! They’re coming! No, not the Russians, but the new Medicare cards which are starting to be mailed out this month and will continue to be mailed on a rolling basis over the next year. To be prepared, there are several details about the new cards you should know according to the Medicare.gov website.
First, what you probably already know. 1. Your new card will have a new Medicare Number that’s unique to you, instead of your Social Security Number. That will help protect your identity. 2. Your new card will not affect your Medicare coverage and benefits. They will stay the same. 3. Only give your new Medicare number to your health care providers, your insurers, or people you trust to work with Medicare on your behalf. (If you ever suspect identity theft, report it to the Office of the Inspector General at https://oig.ssa.gov/report and visit the website https://www.identitytheft.gov/.)
What you may not know. 1. People who are enrolling in Medicare for the first time will be among the first to receive new cards. 2. Your new card will automatically be sent to you. But if your address is not current, you will need to update it by visiting your Social Security account at www.ssa.gov/myaccount. 3. Once you receive your new Medicare card, destroy your old Medicare card and start using your new one right away. 4. If you’re in a Medicare Advantage Plan, keep your Medicare Advantage Plan ID card. It is still your primary card for Medicare and is the card you will continue to use whenever you need care. However, you should also carry your new Medicare card since you may also be asked to show it.
If you are one who doesn’t like surprises and would like to know when to expect your new card, visit www.Medicare.gov/NewCard and sign up to receive an email when Medicare starts mailing the new cards to Oregon enrollees.
The good news is with all the stories about the fraudulent use of stolen Social Security numbers, the new Medicare cards are another step in protecting you from identity theft.
This Saturday The Dalles will be bustling with “out of this world” activities. And to start the day off right, why not stop by the Center and enjoy an Extraterrestrial Breakfast from 8:00 – 9:30 sponsored by the Center’s neighbor to the north – Cherry Heights Living. The menu includes French toast, scrambled eggs, sausage patty and fruit – as well as the regular beverages. The cost is $6.00 and $3.00 for children twelve and under. And make sure to stay for the coronation of the Cherry Festival Royalty – and the raffle drawing for a beautiful quilt hand stitched by the Center’s amazing quilters.
The subject of the Center’s 11:00 Wednesday Lecture on April 25th will be the School District 21 Construction Bond that will be on the November ballot. The presentation will give you an opportunity to ask questions about this innovative funding approach to modernize D-21 school facilities. And for the Wednesday Lecture on May 1st, I will be discussing new positive ways to talk about aging that reduces stereotypes and increases the inclusion of older people in our communities.
The name of the actress who played Peter Pan in the first full-length Broadway production seen on color TV was Mary Martin. And the Australian born actor who portrayed Captain Hook was Cyril Ritchard. (I received correct answers from Dave Lutgens, Kim Birge, Lana Tepfer, Jim and Betsy Ayers and the winners of this week’s quilt raffle tickets, Don and Linda McAllister.)
Another classic from the Golden Age of Television was a television series created by Rod Serling that ran from 1959 to 1964 on CBS. For this week’s “Remember When” question what was the name of this series where “You’re traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination”? Email your answer to www.mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-296-4788 or drop off your answer with a copy of the episode “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street”.
Well, it’s been another week, looking both ways before taking a leap of faith. Until we meet again, one advantage of running around in circles, is you get your exercise.”
“I have perceiv’d that to be with those I like is enough.” Walt Whitman
