Medicare Identity Theft Prevention Act of 2008

Press Release

MEDICARE IDENTITY THEFT PREVENTION ACT OF 2008 -- (House of Representatives - September 27, 2008)

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Mr. DOGGETT. 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.

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Mr. DOGGETT. 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.

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