Medicare Identity Theft Prevention Act of 2008

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the bill H.R. 6600, the Medicare Identity Prevention Act. I thank Mr. Doggett for bringing it up. Apparently we can't get any resolution on Social Security so we need to do it one baby step at a time.

Americans are rightly worried about the security of their personal information, including their Social Security number. Practically every day we hear about another data breach in the private or public sector where identity information of hundreds, if not thousands, of people is stolen.

According to the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, the total number of known records that have been compromised since January 2005 is over 158 million. Even though Social Security numbers were created to track earnings for determining benefit amounts under Social Security, these numbers are now unfortunately widely used as personal identifiers.

According to the Government Accountability Office, Social Security numbers have become the ``identifier of choice'' and are used for all sorts of business transactions. In an April 2007 report, the President's Identity Theft Task Force identified the Social Security number as the most valuable commodity for an identity thief.

These thieves are hard at work. The Federal Trade Commission estimates that about 5 percent of all of the adult population has been victim of identity theft. Even worse, the true number of victims of that crime is unknown since most victims don't report it.

We also know that this is a serious problem for illegal immigration. During a recent hearing at the Social Security Subcommittee, we learned that a credible set of fake identity documents costs about $350. With those fake documents, illegal immigrants can get a job and even sneak through the government's E-Verify system which is meant to verify whether an employee is eligible to work in this country.

Congress must get to work on identity theft, and removing the Social Security number from widespread circulation is an excellent place to start. For years, the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security has been working on this problem in a bipartisan way. We have approved bills to protect the privacy of Social Security numbers and prevent identity theft since the 106th Congress when it first approved the Social Security Number Privacy and Identity Theft Prevention Act. That legislation was introduced on a bipartisan basis by then-Subcommittee Chairman Clay Shaw and then-ranking member, the late Bob Matsui.

The Ways and Means Committee has begun working on this and so has the Energy and Commerce Committee. Our two comprehensive bills are really not that far apart, yet we are repeatedly met with opposition from those groups which prefer to splash Social Security numbers on every personal document they want. The comprehensive efforts of our two committees are being met with the same resistance they met in previous years until now.

I commend my colleague from Texas (Mr. Doggett) for working in a bipartisan way and not giving up on the issue. Sometimes you just have to take an issue one bite at a time.

The bill H.R. 6600, Medicare Identity Theft Prevention Act, will take the Social Security number off the Medicare card. It is completely ridiculous that people are told not to carry their Social Security card in order to protect their identity, but then every senior citizen is told they must carry their Medicare card, which has their Social Security number on it.

When the wallet of a senior citizen has been stolen, even a low-tech crook can get the identity theft. It's not the card itself; it's a fact that then every medical record at nursing homes, hospitals, and doctor offices has a Social Security number written on it.

The wholesale amount of Social Security numbers that are available to identity thieves is staggering and completely unnecessary. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services must change their tracking number for Medicare purposes.

In just a few years, the first baby boomers are going to be turning 65 and become eligible for Medicare. Rather than a huge wave of retirees being issued an ``identity theft kit'' when they receive a Medicare card, that card should have a unique identifier. Private insurance moved away from Social Security cards years ago. Medicare needs to do that, too.

The problem of identity theft is not going to be addressed with one single piece of legislation, but we must start somewhere, and starting with Medicare cards before Boomers become eligible is a great place to start.

Thank you, Mr. Doggett, for your support. I urge my colleagues to support this bill as well.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6600) to amend title II of the Social Security Act to prohibit the inclusion of Social Security account numbers on Medicare cards, as amended.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is an all-Texas act this afternoon, but it's about a measure that affects seniors and individuals with disabilities all over this country.

General Leave

Let me first ask unanimous consent that Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to add any extraneous material in the Record concerning H.R. 6600, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

There are 44 million seniors and individuals with disabilities who carry in their wallets or in their purses something that makes them unnecessarily more vulnerable to identity theft, and that is their Medicare cards. Apart from the Social Security card, itself, the Medicare card is the most frequently issued government document displaying a Social Security number. This practice invites foul play.

To protect both the savings and the peace of mind of Medicare beneficiaries, I've introduced with the assistance and the encouragement of my

colleague from Texas, the ranking member on the Social Security Subcommittee, Mr. Johnson, the Medicare Identity Theft Prevention Act. This bipartisan legislation would require Medicare to take the steps that private companies and that other government agencies have already taken to protect the identities of our seniors.

Every time a senior or an individual with a disability hands over a Medicare card, that person is handing over the keys of financial security. With increasingly sophisticated thefts by identity thieves, inaction is unacceptable. Seniors have saved and have built over their lifetimes their financial security and their reputations.

Their savings and their credit should not be put needlessly at risk if someone steals their Medicare card. Just as a doctor swears an oath to do no harm in practicing medicine, Medicare should make sure that it does no harm to the financial security and credit rating of its beneficiaries. The Medicare Identity Theft Prevention Act will help to ensure that the government better protects seniors from identity theft, denying thieves access to this critical data.

The private sector and government agencies, including the Veterans Administration and the Department of Defense, have begun to protect Social Security numbers from identity thieves. But Medicare has not yet taken appropriate steps to do this, hence this legislation.

Inaction jeopardizes the safety of millions of our seniors and individuals with disabilities. This legislation has the support of the Consumers Union, the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, the National Silver-Haired Congress, and the Texas Silver- Haired Legislature, as well as the Elder Justice Coalition.

Seniors confront many threats to their retirement security these days. This bill is one way to prevent their falling victim to swindlers. I urge the adoption of the bill.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I would yield myself such time as I might consume in closing.

Mr. Speaker, I think our colleague from Texas. Mr. Johnson has done an excellent job of outlining the scope of identity theft. It's something we hear about every day and sometimes think it's about someone else in some other place until it strikes a friend or loved one.

We need to do a great deal to address identity theft. This is one small measure to encourage the folks at Medicare to begin to phase in a new type of identity marker for Medicare beneficiaries so that we will eliminate this particular source of the problem of identity theft.

I want to acknowledge Kathleen Black on Mr. Johnson's staff, Jackie Binder on mine, as well as our colleague, the chairman of the Social Security Subcommittee, who will be completing his last term here, Mike McNulty of New York, and also to acknowledge the great interest and help from our colleague Representative Paul Hodes of New Hampshire who filed similar legislation and then worked with us to get this legislation approved. He's unable to be here today, but he's been very concerned about the identity theft issue and has offered great help in fashioning this legislation.

And with that, Mr. Speaker, I believe the problem is clear. The small step we're taking through this legislation is clear, and I would move adoption of the bill.

I yield back my time.

Mr. Speaker. I rise today in strong support of H.R. 6600, the ``Medicare Identity Theft Prevention Act of 2008'' I would like to thank my colleague Congressman Doggett and the Ways and Means Committee.

This legislation today to require the federal government to remove Social Security numbers from Medicare identification cards and communications to Medicare beneficiaries.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (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.

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. CMS's continued use of Social Security numbers on Medicare cards needlessly places people at risk.

This 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.

I believe that 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. 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.

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 hat 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 the and OMB's directive to eliminate unnecessary uses of Social Security numbers, we believe immediate action is needed to address this significant vulnerability.

Today's 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 with 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.

I am proud to cosponsor legislation that will protect our elderly. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the motions to suspend the rules relating to the following measures be considered as adopted in the form considered by the House on Saturday, September 27, 2008: House Resolution 1224, H.R. 4131, H.R. 6600, H.R. 6669, S. 3536, S. 3598, S. 3296, and S. 2304.