Newsletter: September 5

Statement

Hacking Shows Vulnerability of Healthcare.gov

Yesterday, officials at the Health and Human Services Department revealed that a Healthcare.gov server had been hacked and contained malicious code. According to reports, the server was not intended to be online and never had the default password changed. The intrusion went unnoticed for two months. The administration claims that personal information was not lost. I have been concerned about the security of government healthcare information for some time and the law still does not contain enough consumer protections. Earlier this year, the House passed my bill that would require the government to alert consumers to a breach of their data within 48 hours. While this bill overwhelmingly passed the House, the President opposed passage.

Cures Roundtable Available at C-SPAN

Last week's 21st Century Cures roundtable in Lancaster is now available in full at C-SPAN.org. The two-hour event featured discussion from local health leaders and government officials about how we can work together to accelerate the pace of cures. You can read more about the event at LancasterOnline.com or read this week's OP-ED.

Scammers Posing as IRS

I've received a number of calls from constituents about scammers posing as the IRS in order to try to steal money. The IRS is aware of these calls and working to capture the fraudsters. The agency has posted online "Five Easy Ways to Spot Suspicious Calls," good basic tips for spotting a scam and protecting yourself. Also, you can always call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 and have someone confirm whether you owe anything. Finally, if you have received a scam call, you can reach out to the Treasury Inspector General to file a report at 1-800-366-4484.

House September Agenda

Next week, the House of Representatives will return to session. The new House Majority Leader, Kevin McCarthy, has laid out an agenda that includes passing a resolution to continue funding the government through the end of the year, boosting jobs and the economy, and holding the government accountable. The House will vote next week on a bill approved by my Health Subcommittee that will allow employers to continue to offer the insurance plans they provided to their employees before Obamacare went into effect. To read the complete agenda, CLICK HERE.

Op-ed of the Week: Discussing Cures

Five million Americans suffer from the degenerative brain disease known as Alzheimer's. That number is expected to triple by 2050. Despite the millions of sufferers, there is no cure. In fact, much about the disease is a mystery, including why twice as many women suffer from it. READ MORE

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