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[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 781 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 781

To amend title II of the Social Security Act to prohibit the inclusion 
         of Social Security account numbers on Medicare cards.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 15, 2013

 Mr. Sam Johnson of Texas (for himself and Mr. Doggett) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
To amend title II of the Social Security Act to prohibit the inclusion 
         of Social Security account numbers on Medicare cards.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Medicare Identity Theft Prevention 
Act of 2013''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION OF INCLUSION OF SOCIAL SECURITY ACCOUNT NUMBERS ON 
              MEDICARE CARDS.

    (a) In General.--Section 205(c)(2)(C) of the Social Security Act 
(42 U.S.C. 405(c)(2)(C)) is amended--
            (1) by moving clause (x), as added by section 1414(a)(2) of 
        the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, 6 ems to the 
        left;
            (2) by redesignating clause (x), as added by section 
        2(a)(1) of the Social Security Number Protection Act of 2010, 
        and clause (xi) as clauses (xi) and (xii), respectively; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new clause:
    ``(xiii) The Secretary of Health and Human Services, in 
consultation with the Commissioner of Social Security, shall establish 
cost-effective procedures to ensure that a Social Security account 
number (or derivative thereof) is not displayed, coded, or embedded on 
the Medicare card issued to an individual who is entitled to benefits 
under part A of title XVIII or enrolled under part B of title XVIII and 
that any other identifier displayed on such card is not identifiable as 
a Social Security account number (or derivative thereof).''.
    (b) Implementation.--In implementing clause (xiii) of section 
205(c)(2)(C) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 405(c)(2)(C)), as 
added by subsection (a)(3), the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
shall establish a cost-effective process that involves the least amount 
of disruption to Medicare beneficiaries and health care providers. The 
Secretary shall consider implementing a process, similar to the process 
involving Railroad Retirement Board beneficiaries, under which a 
Medicare beneficiary identifier which is not a Social Security account 
number (or derivative thereof) is used external to the Department of 
Health and Human Services and is convertible over to a Social Security 
account number (or derivative thereof) for use internal to such 
Department and the Social Security Administration.
    (c) Effective Date.--
            (1) In general.--Clause (xiii) of section 205(c)(2)(C) of 
        the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 405(c)(2)(C)), as added by 
        subsection (a)(3), shall apply with respect to Medicare cards 
        issued on and after an effective date specified by the 
        Secretary of Health and Human Services, but in no case shall 
        such effective date be later than the date that is 3 years 
        after the date of the enactment of this Act.
            (2) Reissuance.--The Secretary--
                    (A) shall provide for the reissuance of Medicare 
                cards that comply with the requirements of such clause 
                not later than 3 years after the effective date 
                specified by the Secretary under paragraph (1); and
                    (B) may permit an individual to apply for the 
                reissuance of a Medicare card that complies with such 
                requirements before the date of reissuance otherwise 
                provided under subparagraph (A) in such exceptional 
                circumstances as the Secretary may specify.
                                 <all>
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