Portman demands details on HealthCare.Gov security problems

U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) has joined with fellow Republican committee leaders in the Senate and House and called on the Obama Administration to provide details on the security of HealthCare.gov after a report by the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) found systemic security weaknesses in the website, many because of Administration actions, that could leave Americans’ personal information vulnerable to attack.

“In order to enroll beneficiaries in the exchange, HealthCare.gov collects, obtains and retains massive amounts of personally identifiable information about millions of Americans. This information includes Social Security numbers, personal addresses, income and employment records, and tax return records. It is extremely important that CMS and the other federal agencies involved in the exchanges properly protect and maintain this sensitive information,” the members write in a letter to the Administration. “However, yesterday’s GAO report and the recent hacking of HealthCare.gov indicate that CMS is failing to perform this fundamental obligation.”

Portman, Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Subcommittee on Efficiency and Effectiveness of Federal Programs and the Federal Workforce, along with Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation, and Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Fred Upton (R-Mich.), House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.), and House Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) sent the letter to Marilyn Tavenner, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

The committee leaders are asking for information on whether the administration has completed comprehensive security testing before the upcoming open enrollment period; details on any event where Healthcare.gov security was compromised; and whether HealthCare.gov fully complies with the Privacy Act of 1974 and other federal laws that protect personal information.