II
113th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 612
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 19, 2013
Mr. Durbin (for himself and Mrs. Gillibrand) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance
A BILL
To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to remove social security account numbers from Medicare identification cards and communications provided to Medicare beneficiaries in order to protect Medicare beneficiaries from identity theft.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the
Social Security Number Protection Act
of 2011
.
Requiring the Secretary of Health and Human Services to prohibit the display of social security account numbers on Medicare identification cards and communications provided to Medicare beneficiaries
In general
Not later than 3 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall establish and begin to implement procedures to eliminate the unnecessary collection, use, and display of social security account numbers of Medicare beneficiaries.
Medicare cards and communications provided to beneficiaries
Cards
New cards
Not later than 3 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall ensure that each newly issued Medicare identification card meets the requirements described in subparagraph (C).
Replacement of existing cards
Not later than 5 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall ensure that all Medicare beneficiaries have been issued a Medicare identification card that meets the requirements of subparagraph (C).
Requirements
The requirements described in this subparagraph are, with respect to a Medicare identification card, that the card does not display or electronically store (in an unencrypted format) a Medicare beneficiary’s social security account number.
Communications provided to beneficiaries
Not later than 3 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall prohibit the display of a Medicare beneficiary’s social security account number on written or electronic communication provided to the beneficiary unless the Secretary determines that inclusion of social security account numbers on such communications is essential for the operation of the Medicare program.
Medicare beneficiary defined
In this section, the term Medicare
beneficiary
means an individual who is entitled to, or enrolled for,
benefits under part A of title XVIII of the Social Security Act or enrolled
under part B of such title.
Conforming reference in the Social Security Act
Section 205(c)(2)(C) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 405(c)(2)(C)) is amended by adding at the end the following new clause:
For provisions relating to requiring the Secretary of Health and Human Services to prohibit the display of social security account numbers on Medicare identification cards and communications provided to Medicare beneficiaries, see section 2 of the Social Security Number Protection Act of 2011.
.
Authorization of appropriations
There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this section.