copy it and leave the original at home.

But do you really need to memorize it? I hadn't heard that.

or on gmail cloud.

That's all you probably need to do.

Of course, keep the original with you.

I live in the hellhole formerly known as Kansas and when I moved here
a couple of years back had to get a new drivers license...well, thanks to
future gov koshit's voter repression drive my 40 some year old SS
card would not do for id because 40 some years ago I had put transparent
tape on both sides to protect it. Had to get a new one. Also, my state
issued and sealed (with state seal) birth certificate id card from 1964 was
no good, guess I might be one of them "others" so I had to spend another
$30 to get an "original" copy of my birth certificate. Don't know if these
issues might affect your Medicare card somewhere down the road but you
never know. So any official id issued to me gets copied and the original stays
home.

So I will never show it to any entity that wants to see it.

The new card says nothing about not laminating it, nor does my original SS card. Laminating is different from transparent tape, which can discolor over time.

I went out right after posting and it's laminated already. Plus I made a couple of photocopies, so I'll have those to fall back upon if I need to.

Were you born in Pennsylvania? I know that state issued something along the lines of a birth certificate ID card which everyone in the state of Pennsylvania always accepted. It was only when they went to work in another state, or wanted to get a passport that they discovered that the card wasn't good anywhere else.

SS card is one of the documents you can use to prove you are a citizen to get
a drivers license. The tape I had put on the card 40 years ago is still very
transparent and the card could be easily read. No official documentation is
allowed at the drivers licence bureau if it has been coated or laminated in
any way, just another way to trip people up since most people register to vote
when they get their license. There were two other folks in line with me at the
same time with the same issue. Nope, born in KS and moved out of the state
for several years. The birth id card was issued in KS with a state seal on it and
had always been accepted before the last few years, I had used it to get my
driver's license years back. I'm about 4 years away from getting my Medicare
Card unless the thugs in office manage to screw up things more than they already
have. Cheers...

I don't see how it can prove citizenship. Unless the non citizen's card clearly says it's been issued to a non citizen. I honestly don't know. Plus, if my card says (which it does) Not To Be Used for Identification Purposes, then it's totally invalid for that purpose. I do have a passport, which ought to be the very best piece of documentation there is to prove my citizenship, although too often that is rejected by idiot clerks.

I'm in New Mexico, and it's been a nightmare here for people renewing licenses ever since the bullshit "Real ID". I renewed mine a month early a couple of years ago in the hopes that when I next renew, they'll have worked out all the kinks. Luckily for me I still get a few bills mailed to my home. People who have gone all electronic, or kids who are still at home/in college/otherwise not on their own have a terrible time. Plus, around here the DMV people regularly give people wrong information or require documentation that is not required. I'd think a Social Security card (Not To Be Used for Identification Purposes) would clearly fit that category.

Although I lived in Kansas myself for a number of years, I was not aware that it issued the birth ID card you've described. I'm real familiar with the Pennsylvania problem.

Anyway, a Medicare card, laminated or otherwise, should never be something you need to prove citizenship, so I'm sticking with my decision to laminate.

they actually have a version for your phone.
Not sure how good or anything else, your post peaked my interest since I will be applying in the near future.

https://digital.gov/2013/06/27/medicare-gov-mobile-website/

I don't think we could laminate our 'old' one.

No laminating since it has a code to be scanned the lamination might make it impossible to be scanned....

then that should have been printed clearly on the card itself. And that little code thing on the back should be fully readable through the lamination. A cardboard insurance card that's going to be living in my wallet can take quite a beating, and I'm not about to request a new one every year or so. Heck, my Humana card (my Advantage plan) is laminated, and no one's ever had a problem scanning it.

I guess it is time for a new one.