Potential ID Theft Risk with Medicare Cards

When dealing with identity theft you need to make sure that you are watching every aspect of your life. You need to place yourself in the best position and make sure that identity theft is not playing a big problematic role in your life. Lately there have been some concerns about identity theft and Medicare cards. The risk can hit every aspect of your life, but the Medicare aspect has only come to the forefront recently. Let’s talk a little bit about this problem and how you can make sure it does not play a bad role in your life. You need to make sure that you are always taking the right steps to protect yourself and your identity.

What is the Problem?

The recent problem has been with the placement of your Social Security number on your Medicare cards. Millions of Americans have these cards, which mean that millions of Americans have their private information right there on the card. If someone were to get a hold of your Medicare card they could use it to do some major damage against you. This is something that is so important to keep private, and by placing it on the Medicare card; they are placing you in a position where you are going to have to be more careful with this important document.

What are They Doing About it?

Many people are fighting to get Medicare to take the Social Security number off of the front of the card. Social Security cannot prohibit Medicare from placing this number on the card. It is actually something that Congress needs to prohibit. Many people are fighting to get Congress to do just that. Plans are being drawn up which would provide an alternative way for Medicare to get the information they need without having your Social Security number right there for all to see. People finally realized that this was not a good thing.

What Can You Do?

If you feel strong about this issue then you need to make sure you voice is heard. Fight to get Congress to pass a law that would require your Social Security number be taken off. Your voice does matter and you can make a difference. Until this happens make sure that you always know where your Medicare card is and that you never place it in the wrong hands. You can protect just by knowing what is going on at all times, and never losing your card. Make sure you take the time whenever you take your card out to put it right back where you found it.

Additional Resources:

• Medicare Resists Removing SSNs from Cards
• Somebody, Wake Up Congress