Your New Mexico Medicaid number is a ten-digit numeric code assigned when you enroll in Turquoise Care, the state’s Medicaid program. You’ll find it printed on the member card from your managed care organization (MCO) or on the blue Medicaid card issued directly by the state, and you can also pull it up anytime by logging in to the YesNM portal at yes.nm.gov.
What the Number Looks Like
The number is ten digits, all numeric. It is not your Social Security number, and it is not your Medicare ID. If you have Medicare too, that program uses an eleven-character Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) that mixes uppercase letters with numbers. Mixing up the two at a provider visit is a common cause of billing delays, so check the length and format before you hand over a card.
Providers enter this number into their billing systems every time you receive care. Without it, the state cannot process the claim, and a doctor’s office or pharmacy may ask you to reschedule or pay out of pocket until coverage is confirmed. The number is also tied to your specific eligibility category, which determines what services can be billed.
Where to Find Your Number
Most Turquoise Care beneficiaries are enrolled with one of four MCOs: Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico, Presbyterian Health Plan, Molina Healthcare of New Mexico, or United Healthcare Community Plan of New Mexico. Each plan prints its own member card with your Medicaid ID number on the front. That card is what you show at appointments.
If you aren’t in an MCO, you’ll have a blue Medicaid card sent directly by the New Mexico Health Care Authority (HCA), the agency that took over Medicaid administration from the former Human Services Department on July 1, 2024.
Beyond the physical card, your number appears in several places:
- Your YesNM account at yes.nm.gov, under your benefit details.
- Eligibility notices, renewal forms, and other mailings from the HCA, usually near the top of the document.
- Your MCO’s member portal or mobile app, which lets you pull up a digital version of the card.
Treat the number like you would a Social Security number. It qualifies as personally identifiable information, and anyone who has it could use it to obtain medical services in your name. Store the card securely and avoid sharing the number through unsecured channels.
How to Replace a Lost or Damaged Card
If your card is lost, stolen, or damaged, who you call depends on how your coverage is delivered.
MCO members should call their plan directly:
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of NM: 1-866-689-1523
- Presbyterian Turquoise Care: 1-888-977-2333
- Molina Healthcare of NM: 1-844-543-8996
- United Healthcare Community Plan of NM: 1-844-543-8996
If you have the state’s blue Medicaid card instead, request a replacement through the YesNM portal or by calling the HCA at 1-800-283-4465. You can also reach the HCA by texting 601-401-4995 or emailing NM.Customers@hca.nm.gov during business hours.
Your Medicaid number itself does not change when you get a new card. If you can locate the number on an old notice or in your YesNM account, a provider can verify your coverage with the number alone while you wait for the replacement to arrive.
How to Get a Medicaid Number in the First Place
There is no way to request just a number. You get one by applying for and being approved for New Mexico Medicaid. Applications are accepted four ways:
- Online through the YesNM portal at yes.nm.gov.
- By phone at 1-800-283-4465, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- By mail or fax, using the paper application downloaded from the YesNM website.
- In person at a local HCA field office.
The MAD 100 is the Medicaid-only form. A separate multi-program application lets you apply for Medicaid and other benefits like SNAP at the same time.
What You’ll Need
Every applicant must provide a Social Security number as a condition of eligibility under federal and state law. You’ll also need to show New Mexico residency, which the state defines broadly: occupying a home, enrolling a child in school, or holding a state driver’s license all count. People experiencing homelessness qualify as residents if they intend to stay in the state.
Income documentation is the other key piece. The HCA measures household income against the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), and the threshold depends on which category you fall into:
- Adults ages 19 to 64 without Medicare: below 133% FPL.
- Pregnant women: below 250% FPL.
- Children ages 0 through 5: below 300% FPL (CHIP Medicaid at the upper end).
- Children ages 6 through 18: below 240% FPL (CHIP Medicaid at the upper end).
Non-citizens face additional rules. Lawful permanent residents generally wait five years after obtaining status before applying, though refugees, asylum seekers, legally residing children, and pregnant women can apply immediately. Undocumented residents qualify only for emergency medical services, not full Medicaid. DACA recipients are not eligible.
How Long It Takes
Federal rules give the state 45 days to decide most applications and 90 days for applications based on disability. Missing paperwork is the usual reason for delays.
If you need care before approval, ask your provider about presumptive eligibility, which gives temporary Medicaid coverage for up to 60 days while your full application is processed. It’s available to adults, children under 19, pregnant women, and former foster youth who are U.S. citizens or eligible immigrants living in New Mexico.
Keeping Your Number Active
Your Medicaid number stays active only as long as your eligibility is current, and New Mexico requires an annual renewal. The HCA mails a turquoise envelope with instructions and paper forms when your renewal date is coming up. If you’ve signed up for electronic notifications, you’ll also get a text or email.
You cannot renew early. Once your notice arrives, you have 75 days from the date on it to submit the renewal, and coverage stays open during that window. Renew through YesNM by clicking “Renew My Benefits,” mail or fax the paperwork from the turquoise envelope, or call 1-800-283-4465.
The renewal asks you to confirm that your income, household size, and other circumstances still meet the program’s requirements. Report any changes. Failing to do so can lead to overpayments the state may later recover, or a gap in coverage once the HCA discovers the discrepancy.
If You Miss the Deadline
If your coverage is terminated for a missed renewal, you have a 90-day reconsideration period. During those 90 days, contact the HCA to reenroll. If you are still eligible, your coverage is reinstated back to the month you were disenrolled, with no gap in benefits. This catches a lot of people whose mail went astray.
Miss the 90-day window and you can still reapply, but you’ll go through the full application process again. Services you received during the gap won’t be retroactively covered unless you qualify for retroactive eligibility, which can reach back up to three months before your application date if you would have been eligible during that time.
If the HCA denies your application or takes another adverse action on your case, you have 90 days from the date of the action to request a fair hearing. The YesNM portal has a dedicated “Request a Fair Hearing” function. Filing before your existing coverage ends can let you keep benefits running while the appeal is pending.