This bit of Foolishness is going to point out how slow our Federal Government can be when it sets out to fix something that really needs to be fixed and it recognizes that something as a Great Danger to the citizens of the Good Ole USofA.
The Great Danger I am talking about is the fact that our Social Security Numbers are used by Medicare as the Medicare Identification Number.
Being slow to fix this obvious problem is one thing but the larger stupid is how dangerous it was for Medicare to ever start using such a sensitive number in the first place.
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The Law ... H.R 2 of the One Hundred Fourteenth Congress of the United States of America
On January 6, 2015, to protect seniors from identity theft, President Obama signed a bill that requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to issue new Medicare Cards that Don’t Display, Code or Embed Social Security Numbers.
Some Background...
On 4/29/15 in a communication from the Office of Inspector General of Social Security Administration this was said...
--> Fella did the Bolding and Underlining below. <--
- For more than a decade, we and other Federal Agencies have recommended taking SSNs off of Medicare Cards.
- U.S. Rep. Sam Johnson, Chairman of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security, has long advocated removing SSNs from Medicare cards. Johnson once said to the New York Times, “The Social Security number is the key to identity theft, and thieves are having a field day with seniors’ Medicare cards”.
- The 4,500+ seniors who are enrolling in Medicare every day are receiving Medicare Cards with their SSNs on them.
- In 2006, we recommended that Social Security encourage HHS to modernize the Medicare Card.
- In a memorandum to the heads of federal departments and agencies in May 2007, Clay Johnson III, deputy director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, said they should draw up plans to eliminate the unnecessary collection and use of Social Security numbers within 18 months. (Fella received his new card 9/12/18. This proves that “within 18 months” in Washington takes more than 11 years.)
- In 2008, we reported that, despite the increasing threat of identity theft, Medicare continued to issue cards that displayed SSNs and unnecessarily placed millions of individuals at risk for identity theft.
- On June 22, 2008, the Inspector General called for immediate action to remove SSNs from Medicare Cards. (Fella received his new card 9/12/18. This proves that “immediate” action in Washington takes more than 10 years.)
- With a stolen SSN, identity thieves can commit any number of financial crimes in the victim’s name or they can just steal money from the victim.
- Thieves might attempt to change the victim’s Social Security direct deposit information or redirecting benefits to other accounts.
I wonder how many Vacations, Home Work Periods, Recesses, Happy Hours and Post Office Renamings have taken place while thieves were having a field day with our Medicare Cards with our Social Security Numbers on them.
Senator Snidley Whiplash defended Home Work Periods by saying, “Why, son, Home Work Periods are very important! Why, son, this is when we go home and get our marching orders from the folks back home”.
Fella would like to peck out what those Ignored Marching Orders are... Senator, you have sat there too long for any good that you are doing! In the name of God, Go!
Would I kid u?
Smartfella
Lagniappe: At least we have the protection of only being asked the Last 4 Digits of our SSNs. Thank heaven that the Good Ole USofA has the Common Sense to be cautious about my SSN...Or does it have?
The Dangers of Giving Out the Last 4 Digits of Your SSN
The first 3-digits of your SSN represent the geographic region you were in when you applied for your SSN. (If the thief knows where you were born, he usually already has these 3-digits.) The second 2-digits represent a group number that is assigned for administrative purposes. (Thieves have little problem determining 2-digit numbers.) The last 4-digits are the only part of your SSN that makes your number unique from all others. This means that giving out the last 4-digits of your SSN is riskier than any other part of your SSN.
