Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - If you're a senior citizen, check your mailbox very carefully. An insurance company that offers Medicare benefits has sent out 80,000 postcards with the social security numbers of the intended recipients printed on the front.
Universal American sent the mailers to 35,000 of its Medicare patients here in New York. Printed on the front of the cards, right above the address, is the Medicare ID number which includes the social security number of the recipient.
Bob Hayes, VP of Health and Quality for the company tells us they are very sorry for the error and will be offering free credit monitoring services for one year to everyone affected.
According to the company, the people who got these postcards are all their current customers, which why they had your Medicare ID number, which is your social security number. The Real Deal team has asked lawmakers about why Medicare still uses your social for your ID number, and they say that'sjust the way it's always been.
There are some bills that have been introduced to ban that number from being displayed on any official documents, including your Medicare card, but so far they haven't been voted on.
If you have received one of these post cards, you can call 1-877-697-6228 for more information. The company says it will be sending a letter to all 35,000 of the victims here in New York explaining the situation and giving further details about how to sign up for the monitoring services.
