MedicaidAdministrativeMedium impact
ForwardHealth Is Issuing New Member Identification Cards with New Member Identification Numbers
Wisconsin Medicaid (ForwardHealth)·WI·Medical Policy
Effective date
Nov 1, 2008
We identified it
Jun 20, 2026
Summary
ForwardHealth is issuing new member ID cards with randomly assigned numbers replacing SSN-based IDs for all Wisconsin Medicaid programs starting November 2008. Providers can use either old or new member IDs for claims submission during the transition period, with magnetic stripes deactivated 30 days after new card issuance.
Action Required
Immediately: Update patient records with new member IDs as members present new ForwardHealth cards. Train front desk staff to accept both old and new member IDs during transition. Use optional patient account number field (Element 26 on 1500 forms, Form Locator 3a/3b on UB-04) to track patients during ID transition. Verify enrollment before each service using Portal, WiCall, or 270/271 transactions which will return new member IDs when old IDs are used.