Senate Bill Would End Practice of Placing Social
Security Numbers on Medicare Cards
Durbin, Bingaman, Kohl introduce bill to protect
Medicare card holders from identity theft
Sept. 17, 2008 Congress may demand the government
removed Social Security numbers from Medicare identification cards and
communications to beneficiaries as part of the battle against identity
theft. Three Democrats introduced a bill in the Senate today to mandate
these changes, which have been recommended by the Social Security
Administration but ignored by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services.
Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
and Herb Kohl (D-WI) introduced the legislation today. A news release
said, "The CMS, which administers the Medicare program, has fallen
behind most other public and private organizations in recognizing the
danger of displaying Social Security numbers. The Social Security
Number Protection Act ensures that the Social Security numbers of
Medicare beneficiaries are properly protected."
Nearly three years ago, Senator Durbin raised
concerns about the use of Social Security numbers on Medicare cards.
Because of his efforts, CMS issued a report to Congress that outlined
the steps that would be required to remove Social Security numbers from
Medicare cards, but has failed to implement those changes.
In May 2008, the Inspector General of the Social
Security Administration issued a report which concluded that: Given
the millions of individuals at risk for identity theft and OMBs
directive to eliminate unnecessary uses of [Social Security numbers], we
believe immediate action is needed to address this significant
vulnerability.
Every year, millions of Americans are victims of
identity theft many after their Social Security numbers are stolen.
Instead of leading by example, the federal government is lagging behind
private health insurers and other public agencies in protecting Medicare
recipients from identity theft, Durbin said.
CMSs continued use of Social Security numbers on
Medicare cards needlessly places people at risk. Our bill ensures that a
premium is placed on security and that personal information is
protected.
It makes no sense for a CMS to continue exposing
Medicare beneficiaries to the risk of identity theft. We should pass
this bill quickly and fix this problem once and for all, Bingaman said.
This is one of those clear-cut problems that is
easy to fix. With identity theft on the rise, removing social security
numbers from Medicare beneficiary cards is the smart thing to do, said
Senator Kohl, who chairs the Special Committee on Aging.
Identity theft is one of the fastest-growing crimes
in the nation. Nearly 8.4 million people were victims of identity
theft last year alone, and these crimes accounted for more than $49.3
billion in fraudulent charges.
Todays legislation sets a timeframe for CMS to
remove Social Security numbers from Medicare cards and communications to
beneficiaries.
The bill will:
●
Require the Health and Human Services Secretary to implement procedures
to eliminate the unnecessary collection, use, and display of Social
Security numbers of Medicare beneficiaries within three years;
●
Prohibit the display or the unencrypted electronic storage of Social
Security numbers on newly issued Medicare cards;
●
Prohibit the display or the unencrypted electronic storage of Social
Security numbers on all Medicare cards within five years of enactment;
and
●
Prohibit the display of Social Security numbers on written and
electronic communications to Medicare beneficiaries, unless essential
for the operation of the Medicare program.
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