A NEW PLASTIC ID CARD FOR MEDICAID BENEFICIARIES
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 Sussex, Monmouth, and Camden Counties are
included in the pilot project that began on June 1, 2006. These beneficiaries are already using the
new HBID card. Clients who live in Bergen, Cape May, Gloucester, Mercer, Morris, Salem,
Somerset, Union and Warren counties will receive their HBID cards in September 2006, and must
begin using them on October 1, 2006. The HBID phase-in dates for the clients in the remaining New
Jersey counties have not yet been announced. Once a Medicaid beneficiary receives the new HBID card, his/her monthly paper ID card will be discontinued.
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 HBID Call Center (1-877-414-9251).
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