Consumers Threatened by Healthcare.gov Security Risks

Washington, DC — U.S. Representative Randy Hultgren (IL-14) today urged Congress and the White House to quickly pass legislation addressing the disturbing and growing security threats associated with the Affordable Care Act’s online portal, Healthcare.gov.

The data passing through the Healthcare.gov website is one of the largest collections of personal information ever assembled. American consumers who use the site must input personal contact information, birth dates and social security numbers, as well as income, tax and other financial information. On Friday, the House plans to vote on the Health Exchange Security and Transparency Act which would require the Department of Health and Human Services to notify individuals of any breach on the health care law exchanges (both state and federal) that endangers personal data and information within two business days.

“American consumers expect their online shopping experience to be safe and transparent, but their most important personal information is threatened by the troubling security vulnerabilities of Healthcare.gov. Online security experts told the Science Committee that not only is health consumer information vulnerable to hackers, it is under active attack,” said Rep. Hultgren. “It is simply outrageous for the administration to force Americans to buy insurance through a government website and then jeopardize their personal information. If Target is forced by law to disclose security breaches of consumer data, federal bureaucrats should be required to do the same. The President must sign meaningful legislation that protects Americans by addressing the clear risks associated with the online insurance portal.”

At a November 19 hearing hosted by the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, Mr. David Kennedy, a so-called ‘white hat hacker,’ demonstrated how hackers are attempting to access personal information on the website. Mr. Kennedy testified that there are “clear indicators that even basic security was not built into the Healthcare.gov website.”

Following his testimony, Rep. Hultgren and members of the Science Committee sent a letter to President Obama raising concerns over the security and privacy risks surrounding the online Obamacare portal.

The letter reads: "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. If the security flaws go unaddressed, the more people who use the site will simply mean more Americans vulnerable to identity theft.”

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