Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions
Floor Speech
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Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, today I am introducing legislation with Senator BINGAMAN and Senator KOHL to remove Social Security numbers, SSNs, from Medicare identification cards.
Today, many of the 45 million Medicare beneficiaries in the United States carry their Medicare cards in their wallets. The card displays an individual's Medicare identification number, which is their Social Security number with a 1- or 2-digit code at the end.
The use of Social Security numbers on Medicare cards places millions of seniors at risk of identity theft because if the card is lost or stolen, their Social Security number is easily obtained. A person's Social Security number is one of the most valuable pieces of information that a thief can steal. It can unlock a treasure trove of personal and financial information.
Last year, nearly 8.1 million Americans were victims of identity theft, many after their Social Security numbers were stolen. These crimes accounted for more than $37 billion in fraudulent charges.
Recognizing this risk of identity theft, many government agencies and private businesses have stopped displaying Social Security numbers on identification cards. Thirty-three states have enacted laws that limit how public and private entities use and display Social Security numbers. Social Security numbers are being removed from driver's licenses, and most private health insurance cards no longer display them.
Federal agencies have also taken steps to reduce the threat of identity theft. The Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense are no longer displaying Social Security numbers on new identification cards. In addition, the Office of Personnel Management has directed health insurers participating in the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program to eliminate Social Security numbers from insurance cards.
Unfortunately, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, CMS, is lagging behind other agencies.
In 2005, I offered an amendment to the fiscal year 2006 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill to require CMS to remove SSNs from Medicare cards. My amendment passed 98-0. The final bill directed CMS to provide Congress a report on steps necessary to remove the numbers.
CMS issued the report in 2006, but it has not yet begun to remove Social Security numbers from Medicare cards.
In 2008, the Inspector General of the Social Security Administration took CMS to task for its inaction. The Inspector General's report confirmed that displaying Social Security numbers on Medicare cards places millions of people at risk for identity theft and concluded that ``immediate action is needed to address this significant vulnerability.''
The bill that I am introducing today, the Social Security Number Protection Act of 2011, establishes a reasonable timetable for CMS to begin removing Social Security numbers from Medicare cards.
Not later than 3 years after enactment, CMS would be prohibited from displaying Social Security numbers on newly issued Medicare cards. CMS would be prohibited from displaying the number on existing cards no later than 5 years after enactment.
In addition to Medicare cards, the bill would prohibit CMS from displaying Social Security numbers on all written and electronic communications to Medicare beneficiaries, beginning no later than 3 years after enactment, except in cases where their display is essential for the operation of the Medicare program.
I urge my colleagues to cosponsor this important legislation and work with me to enact it. Removing Social Security numbers from Medicare cards and communications to beneficiaries is long overdue.
Medicare beneficiaries should not be placed at greater risk of identity theft than people with private health insurance. Other Federal agencies have successfully removed Social Security numbers from identification cards, and we should require CMS to do the same.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the RECORD.
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