Docs' Social Security Numbers Exposed in Medicare Database

A Medicare tool billed as a tech upgrade instead briefly turned into a data liability. The Washington Post reports that the Trump administration's new online directory, designed to help seniors see which doctors take which insurance plans, was fed by a public database that included health providers' Social Security numbers tied to their names and other details. The data wasn't obvious to ordinary users of the site, but it was downloadable—and a Post review of a sample found at least dozens of exposed numbers. After the Post alerted officials, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services took the database down and said it was working on a fix.

A CMS spokesperson blamed the problem on providers or their representatives entering information in the wrong fields, adding that the agency is tightening guardrails around data submission and validation. Some affected providers contacted by the Post said they were alarmed and puzzled, with one doctor noting, "I don't even know how [Medicare officials] would get my Social Security number." The directory effort, part of a broader push to modernize Medicare's online tools, has already drawn criticism for earlier errors and a "rushed rollout" that Senate Democrats warned could mislead seniors on what's covered.