I can't believe Medicare did this? (states, drugs, adopted, security)

[Delahanty]

Originally Posted by pnwretired

I made a copy of mine. Blacked out the last four digits with a marking pen and carry that one with me. The other is in a safety box.

That's a good idea in case you lose it, but if you need to show it to anyone, you'll have to provide the rest of the number.

Also, the SSA continues to include one's SSN as part of the Medicare number. Bad idea.

[pnwretired]

Originally Posted by Delahanty

That's a good idea in case you lose it, but if you need to show it to anyone, you'll have to provide the rest of the number.

Also, the SSA continues to include one's SSN as part of the Medicare number. Bad idea.

When they ask I will give it to them, the rest of the number that is.

The reason it is blocked out is if I lose it or my wallet with it in it.

[Tek_Freek]

I think a few of the posters are missing the point of the OP. It's not a complaint about SSA using our SSN's, it's that is on the card where anyone can read it. Hand it to someone in a doctors office and how many people have access to that number? I'd say anyone who can access your files at that office and anyone who handles it while you're there.

And that's every office you visit.

I'm taking pnwretireds advice.

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by Tek_Freek

I think a few of the posters are missing the point of the OP.

I don't think so.

In my case at least I'm seeing a complaint about a distinction without a practical difference.
f'rinstance... what would be done by the office staff if the SS number were on the back of the card?

The name and number on our SS cards is on the front too...
and drivers license and credit cards and library cards and everything else.
Somehow the world manages to carry on with all that data out there now and then.

otoh... if you want to complain about office staff not promply returning the card to you -right after
confirming the data on it- then by all means have at it. But is that practice really the governments fault?

[Ollie1946]

There is NO privacy anywhere in this nation. NONE! Live like you understand that.

[Maxwell Edison]

Originally Posted by pnwretired

Mine either. What state puts ssn on driver's licenses?

My state did a few years back. They got so many complaints they were to computer generated numbers and did away with using SS numbers.

[motordavid]

I also made a few color copies, (one of which I carry; the orig is in home safe), and lightly colored over my SS#.

DLs in NC have no SS#.

When a biz or organization asks for my SS, I ask why, and then almost always refuse to give it to them.

We had our entire identity info compromised a few years ago; it was a nightmare for a year+, and this was back when the genius hackers/scammers/schemers had not really 'arrived' yet.

Yes, our data is all over the cloud and net, but resisting giving out SS and other info, and very careful/paranoid dissemination of hard data, is still important imo.
GL, mD

[Tek_Freek]

Originally Posted by MrRational

I don't think so.

In my case at least I'm seeing a complaint about a distinction without a practical difference.
f'rinstance... what would be done by the office staff if the SS number were on the back of the card?

The name and number on our SS cards is on the front too...
and drivers license and credit cards and library cards and everything else.
Somehow the world manages to carry on with all that data out there now and then.

otoh... if you want to complain about office staff not promply returning the card to you -right after
confirming the data on it- then by all means have at it. But is that practice really the governments fault?

If someone on the staff were interested in doing something nefarious with your SS# I doubt that putting it on the back of the card would keep them from doing it. What a weird notion.

I don't carry my SS card with me, and I doubt there are many who do, so that comment is spurious at best. The SS# used to be our DL number, but they changed it so you can request a random number. That was done years ago and I don't know if the SS# is still the default.

The practice you mention is not the governments fault - the governments fault comes in requiring the number to be on the card - whether it's on the front or back.

I understand the reasoning behind using the SS# in this way - but I object to printing it on my card. I can just as easily tell them what it is. All the card requires is the alpha code that follows the SS#.

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by Tek_Freek

The practice you mention is not the governments fault

That's what I read to be the OP's complaint.
Afterall, the number on the medicare (and SS) card is hardly anything new.

- the governments fault comes in requiring the number to be on the card
- whether it's on the front or back.

oh FFS! You're complaining that the number is printed out on the card at all?
You are really barking up the wrong tree.

[Annie53]

Before they took our SS numbers off of our driver's license......I used to cover it up with a sliver of duct tape.

That way.....if it was absolutely needed.....the tape could be pealed back......otherwise it was covered.

Of course, that wouldn't help if your wallet was stolen.