Local residents who use Medicare are being reminded that as of Jan. 1 they will no longer be able to use their old Medicare card with their Social Security number printed on it. The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 required that Social Security numbers be removed from all Medicare cards by April 2019. The Social Security number has been replaced with a new, randomly-generated Medicare Beneficiary Identifier and is noticeably different on the new card. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has mailed all Medicare beneficiaries new Medicare cards that they should begin using immediately. Medical Arts Hospital officials have ...