Like many of you reading this, I have Baby Boomer parents. They’re among the 70 million Medicare beneficiaries that Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) works hard every day to take care of. They’re not digitally native, but they do know the basics of how to keep themselves safe online and, like everyone else, expect digital experiences to be simple and easy.
Now, my parents join millions of other Americans who can sign in to Medicare.gov using their ID.me Digital Wallet. They are able to use the same sign-in experience they use to manage their Social Security benefits to manage their Medicare benefits, increasing security and making for one less login they have to keep track of.
This launch is a turning point for U.S. healthcare. In July 2025, President Trump, Secretary Kennedy, Administrator Oz, and Acting DOGE Administrator Amy Gleason launched a new approach to the U.S. Health Tech Ecosystem. The approach is patient-centric, has greater access to innovative health technology, will improve patient outcomes, and reduce provider burden.
By integrating ID.me as an option for digital identification into the nation’s largest healthcare payer, CMS has moved beyond theoretical discussions of modernization and is showing the healthcare industry how to deliver on its goals.
For healthcare providers, payers, and technology partners, this creates an immediate opportunity. It allows the 85M+ verified ID.me users to use credentials they already have to securely access new workflows and applications. Healthcare organizations can then drive unprecedented improvements in patient experience, online security, and operational efficiency.
Unlocking the benefits of Digital Wallets
As we outlined in ID.me’s vision for modernizing U.S. healthcare, legacy infrastructure has long forced patients to act as their own data couriers, juggling passwords, carrying physical papers, and filling out the same forms at every new appointment.
CMS is making that friction and “portalitis” disappear.
With the ID.me Digital Wallet now live on Medicare.gov, we are operationalizing the CMS Interoperability Framework. We are helping CMS “kill the clipboard” and build the target infrastructure for the CMS Aligned Network. Patients will be able to carry their own verified identity and data credentials, empowering them to move securely between government benefits and private care without barriers.
Early results show that CMS’s vision for interoperability is working:
- Over 90% of users are logging in using existing, reusable credentials they already have – minimizing friction.
- For users needing a new credential, 94% complete it via self-service and 6% leverage our Video Chat pathway – which is built specifically to help underserved demographics.
Instant Value: How Reusable, Trusted Credentials Drive Efficiency
Unlike traditional modernization efforts that require years to build momentum, this ecosystem delivers immediate scale. Now that millions of Medicare beneficiaries can use ID.me to sign in, healthcare organizations can inherit the efficiency of the credential service provider (CSP) with the largest population of already-verified or “pre-verified” users.
ID.me is trusted by 160 million+ users (including 85 million+ verified to AAL2/IAL2 standards); the network effect is instant:
- Access in Under 1 Minute: Data shows that, beyond CMS, 65-75% of new users arriving at an ID.me partner site are already pre-verified. By tapping into this network, providers can let patients sign in and consent to share their data in less than a minute, skipping the registration line entirely.
- True Portability: The same secure credential that patients use to access the Social Security Administration (SSA), Veteran’s Affairs (VA), Health and Human Services (HHS), and over 600 private sector brands now unlocks their Medicare benefits.
Security Improvements at Scale
Healthcare organizations can instantly upgrade their security posture without building complex infrastructure from scratch.
- Unmatched Trust: This launch brings NIST IAL2 and AAL2 security standards to the digital front door, protecting patient data from AI-driven fraud and deepfakes.
- Reduced Support Costs: A state Medicaid agency saw call center tickets for access issues plummet to 0.03% after adopting ID.me, freeing up 83% of their staff to focus on higher-value tasks.
- Higher Pass Rates: A major Health Plan Brokerage Platform saw identity proofing pass rates jump from less than 50% to 94% and abandonment drop by 74%, proving that high security does not have to come at the expense of user experience.
Empower Your Patients with a Digital Wallet
The launch of ID.me on Medicare.gov proves that the future of healthcare isn’t about building walled gardens; it’s about empowering patients with a portable credential they own and control.
Digital wallets are streamlining patient access and increasing interoperability. The ecosystem is live. For providers ready to tap into this network to reduce administrative burden, eliminate identity fraud, and deliver the seamless experience patients deserve, the solution is ready today.
And as for my parents, they’re excited about having one less login credential to have to manage.
Bring the ID.me Digital Wallet to your healthcare organization
