Senate Proceeding on Apr 1st, 2009 :: 10:00:40 to 10:04:30
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10:00:36 to 10:00:56( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: amendments when they come i yield the floor. will call the rol

10:00:40 to 10:04:30( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Sherrod Brown

10:00:57 to 10:01:19( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: quorum call: mr. brown: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from ohio. mr. brown: mr. president, i ask to vitiate the quorum call. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. brown: thank you, mr. president. i rise to discuss amendment number 808, an amendment i'll offer theme will protect seniors from identity every day some 44 million americans are at risk of having

10:01:20 to 10:01:40( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: their identity stolen simply because they're medicare beneficiaries. why is that? well, we've talked i for years now about removing social security frubz from medicare cards. i think it's time to demonstrate -- numbers from medicare cards. i think it's time to demonstrate that we're serious on taking actions that somet pretty simple. it's commonsense americans should avoid carrying their

10:01:41 to 10:02:02( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: social security number around with them because of identity theft. in fact, administration itself insists that stins, quote -- "should not routinely carry documents that display their social security number," and yet medicare cards clearly health insurance -- the beneficiary's h claim number, which is their social security number followed by a letter.

10:02:03 to 10:02:24( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: so anyone interest theft can, when stealing a purse or a billfold, stealing a medicare card, then have a social security number and can exploit that social security number. what's worse, on the back of each card, beneficiaries are told to carry your card with you when you're away from home.

10:02:25 to 10:02:47( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: so medicare says the card. and social security -- and you should carry your card with you. social security says don't carry your social security number with you. something needs to change. it's unacceptable for the government to be pu risk of identity theft. that's why i'll offer amendment number 808 which will authority necessary to make this change.

10:02:48 to 10:03:09( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: identity theft $15 billion -- back in 2005 -- we don't have the numbers since -- cost the country a billion and a h just in one year. that's a conservative estimate. the congressional budget office says for whatever reason, it will cost $25 million to remove social security numbers from all future cards, so that's the amount we've raised under pay in this bill.

10:03:10 to 10:03:32( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: it's addressing this problem. we owe it to seniors to include the language in our i'm confident we can find the $25 million in savings by reducing waste, fraud and abuse. that's how this amendment, which both -- which has the support of the consumers union and aarp. they both endorsed it. that's how this amendment is paid for, it's budget neutralment let's demonstrate we're committed to

10:03:33 to 10:03:53( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: seniors again, mr. president, just to recap medicare -- medicare suggests to seniors they should rry their medicare card with them at all times. medicare has made a decision to put a social security number on the medicare card. social security says don't carry your social security number with

10:03:54 to 10:04:15( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: you because if it's stolen, whatever you have with you and that snub stolen, then you can be a victim of identity theft. we just want a exclusion -- we want seniors to carry their medicare card but we don't want seniors to be the victims of identity theft. medicare can use another identification that protects seniors' confidentiality,

10:04:16 to 10:04:30( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: protects privacy, protect the public, the -- anyone interested in identity theft from having that -- from being able to get access to that social security number. it's a simple amendment, mr. president. i urge my colleagues to support