Medicare Getting Major Security Upgrade in 2026 — Here’s How New ID Verification Will Work
Once verified with ID.me, you can use the same login for Social Security and VA websites too
Major changes are being made to Medicare in 2026 now that Medicare.gov will be using ID.me and CLEAR to verify beneficiaries identity online. This news follows the health insurance program’s extensive technology changes in 2025, including the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for preauthorization on procedures and a new Advancing Chronic Care with Effective, Scalable Solutions (ACCESS) Model. To learn more about the new verification process, including what documents you will need to confirm your identity, keep scrolling!
What to know about the new Medicare identity verification process
On Tuesday, December 16, ID.me announced that they have entered into a contract with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to help improve people’s experience on Medicare.gov. The changes are expected to occur in 2026, and they will impact every person who needs to verify their identity on the website.
“Healthcare access should be simple, secure and trustworthy for every American. By extending ID.me’s high-assurance identity capabilities across CMS and Medicare.gov, we’re creating a more unified patient experience while strengthening overall program integrity,” Blake Hall, Founder & CEO of ID.me, said in a statement. “This collaboration demonstrates what’s possible when government and technology work together to protect sensitive data at a national scale.”
To verify one’s identity on the site, users will need their driver’s license and/or passport, a photo and a Social Security number. From there, Id.Me will compile all the information and either confirm or deny that the person trying to log into the Medicare site is who they say they are.
Once that’s done, there will be a sign-in option on Medicare for beneficiaries. With that verification comes an easy-to-log-into system for other websites such as the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
The goal is to limit the number of fraudulent logins on Medicare.gov.
A look at additional Medicare technology changes
Along with the new Medicare identity system, Medicare.Gov is also encouraging users to embrace their new digital guidebooks. This includes a “Medicare & You” handbook, electronic Medicare summary notices and an electronic version of Medicare publications.
All of this fits into Mehmet Oz, MD’s agenda to make everything CMS-related more modern. It also allows everyone on the program to have the same access to a variety of helpful resources.
“Great societies protect their most vulnerable. As stewards of the health of so many Americans–especially disadvantaged youth, those with disabilities and our seniors, the CMS team is dedicated to delivering superior health outcomes across each program we administer,” Dr. Oz said in a statement in April. “America is too great for small dreams, and I’m ready to get to work.”
