The Paper Medicaid ID is Gone for Good

Texas Health and Human Services Commission sent this bulletin at 09/27/2011 02:15 PM CDT / Este e-mail ha sido enviado por Texas Health and Human Services Commission el 09/27/2011 02:15 PM CDT

It’s the end of an era. As of Oct. 1, 2011, HHSC is no longer producing or distributing its Form 3087, also known as the paper Medicaid ID.

Like 8-track audio tapes and the floppy disk, this relic from the 20th century is going away for good. No longer will people with Medicaid receive the 3087 in their mailbox each month. No longer will they present the letter-size sheet of paper when they go to a doctor or dentist office, a clinic, or pharmacy for Medicaid services. The paper Medicaid ID has been replaced by the sturdy, plastic Your Texas Benefits Medicaid card. With the new card comes a shift in how a person’s Medicaid eligibility is verified.

Medicaid Providers

Medicaid providers should be prepared to verify a person’s Medicaid eligibility with the new card. The front of the card shows the person’s unique Medicaid ID number. That same number is embedded in a magnetic strip on the back of the card, accessible with a basic swipe-style card reader. With the card, providers have a choice of ways to verify the person’s Medicaid eligibility:

Community Service Organizations

Organizations that serve Medicaid clients (i.e., Head Start, Salvation Army, Women, Infants and Children [WIC], etc.) can still use the Medicaid ID number to determine a person’s active Medicaid status:

  • Call the Provider Help Desk at 1-855-827-3747.
  • Choose Option 3 at the voice prompt.
  • Enter the person’s Medicaid ID number from the front of the card.
  • Enter the person’s birth date.

For more information about the new Your Texas Benefits Medicaid card or the new Medicaid eligibility verification website, call 1-855-827-3747.