Key Takeaways
- An MBI (Medicare Beneficiary Identifier) is a randomly generated 11-character ID printed on every Medicare card. It replaced Social Security numbers as the beneficiary ID in 2020 to protect SSNs.
- It’s safer than an SSN, but it’s still Protected Health Information (PHI) under HIPAA, so any organization that collects or stores MBIs must handle them carefully.
- PII Tools offers a free download of 1000 fake MBI examples, so you can test whether your system can detect and process this data at scale.
What is an MBI?
“MBI” stands for “Medicare Beneficiary Identifier”. These randomly generated numbers are given to Medicare users, even appearing on their Medicare cards.
Before the MBI system was introduced in 2020, Social Security numbers were used as each beneficiary’s unique identification. This system was replaced by MBIs to help protect the users' SSNs.
Source: Vitas Healthcare
Medicare MBI Examples
Although MBIs are safer to use than SSNs, they’re still considered Protected Health Information (PHI) under HIPAA. That means all MBIs must be handled carefully by any organization collecting and storing this sensitive healthcare-related information.
That’s why we’ve prepared the FREE SAMPLE DOWNLOAD below with 1000 MBI EXAMPLES.
If you process MBIs in any way, you’ll want to make sure your system can identify and protect them. Use these free sample examples to test your system’s sensitive data discovery capabilities and whether it can process this much information at once.
MBI Sample Data
Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers (MBI) are 11-character alphanumeric codes printed on every Medicare card. Here are 10 examples of the fake MBI data you’ll get in the FREE download below:
- 2NV8-E83-YY86
- 9U49-TJ0-YD14
- 2TA7-NH6-KP56
- 9D35-DW8-MM72
- 5A75-PT6-DQ98
- 8ER8-Y87-QV46
- 8VV0-XJ2-CV19
- 7UF7-J71-TU84
- 9Q14-W58-UQ63
- 5KA0-F09-TV75
Download PII Dataset Examples
Click the button below to download 1000 sample MBIs. Happy testing!
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is an MBI?
The Medicare Beneficiary Identifier is the unique 11-character number assigned to each person enrolled in Medicare. It appears on the Medicare card and is used for billing, claims, and eligibility checks.
How is it different from the old Medicare number?
The old number, the HICN, was based on the person’s Social Security number. MBIs replaced it (the transition ended in 2020) to reduce identity theft. An MBI is randomly generated, so it can’t be derived from an SSN or any other personal data.
What does an MBI look like?
It mixes numbers and uppercase letters in a fixed pattern, for example, 1EG4-TE5-MK73. The letters S, L, O, I, B, and Z are never used to avoid confusion with numbers. The dashes appear on the card for readability but are not part of the identifier, so systems can accept it with or without them.
Is an MBI sensitive data?
Yes. It’s linked to a person’s health coverage and care, so under HIPAA it’s treated as protected health information when held by healthcare organizations. It is less critical than an SSN, but a leaked MBI can still be used for Medicare fraud and medical identity theft. That’s why discovery tools flag it in documents, emails, and spreadsheets.
What if an MBI is lost or compromised?
CMS can issue a new MBI when a number is stolen or misused, which is something an SSN does not allow. A person can look up their MBI through their Medicare account or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), and should report suspected fraud there too.
What is PII Tools?
PII Tools is sensitive data discovery software, so you can discover, analyze, and remediate PII across all your digital assets, on-premises or in your Private Cloud. Schedule a FREE DEMO and secure your PII for good!
