Washington D.C.,December 10, 2013.– Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ) and 20 members of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee have sent a letter to President Barack Obama raising key questions regarding “security risks and privacy concerns surrounding Healthcare.gov.”
“Though we appreciate the Administration’s efforts to address the flaws with the site’s capacity, we are concerned that the larger security and privacy issues remain unaddressed,” the letter reads. “While more people may be able to access the site, without much-needed security enhancements, this simply means that more Americans are vulnerable to online criminals and identity theft.”
Healthcare.gov interfaces with numerous federal, state and commercial sites and databases. The data passing through the Healthcare.gov website is one of the largest collections of personal information ever assembled, linking information from seven different federal agencies along with state agencies and government contractors.
“Without adequate security measures, Healthcare.gov essentially becomes a portal for online criminals to access even more sensitive, personal data maintained by the IRS, state agencies, and insurance companies that share information with the website,” the members of the Committee cautioned. “The size and scope of information sharing alone raises significant security concerns. Unfortunately, in its haste to launch the Healthcare.gov website, it appears that your Administration has cut corners that have left the website open to hackers and other online criminals. As a result, the personal information that has already been entered into Healthcare.gov is vulnerable to identity thieves. We already know of many attempts to hack into the system. If the security flaws go unaddressed, the more people who use the site will simply mean more Americans vulnerable to identity theft.”
21 Republican members of the Committee sent today’s letter including Science Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) and Reps. Jim Bridenstine (R-Okla.), Mo Brooks (R-Ala.), Paul Broun (R-Ga.), Larry Bucshon (R-Ind.), Chris Collins (R-N.Y.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Ralph M. Hall (R-Texas), Randy Hultgren (R-Ill.), Frank D. Lucas (R-Okla.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Michael T. McCaul (R-Texas), Randy Neugebauer (R-Texas), Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.), Bill Posey (R-Fla.), Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), Chris Stewart (R-Utah), Steve Stockman (R-Texas), and Randy Weber (R-Texas).
The full letter can be found here
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Contact Maggie Zehring: margaret.zehring@mail.house.gov
(202)680-9613