A recent Reuters article highlights an identity security problem for U.S. seniors. Identification cards issued by Medicare contain instructions to carry the card with you at all times. But your card also contains your full social security number (SSN). Losing the card places you at risk of identity theft and fraudulent benefit claims.<\/p>\n
No government agencies track data on theft of Social Security numbers from Medicare cards, but it is clearly a problem. The Department of Health and Human Services recently announced the recovery of $4.3 billion from attempted federal health insurance fraud schemes in a single fiscal year \u2013 a record high.<\/p>\n
In 2007, the George W. Bush administration ordered all federal agencies to cease any unnecessary use of Social Security numbers. And the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) acknowledges the need to remove SSNs from Medicare cards. But doing so would cost between $255 and $317 million, according to (more…)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A recent Reuters article highlights an identity security problem for U.S. seniors. Identification cards issued by Medicare contain instructions to carry the card with you at all times. But your card also contains your full social security number (SSN). Losing…<\/span><\/p>\n