Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) says people will be required to provide personal information, such as their Social Security number and income data, to the exchanges. That data will be forwarded to a federal data hub that will allow the government to verify this data.
{mosads}But Hatch, the Senate sponsor of the Trust But Verify Act, says there has been no independent verification that people’s data will remain private. His bill would require the Government Accountability Office to verify that these safeguards are in place.
“It would simply be irresponsible to open the exchanges without adequate safeguards to protect and secure consumers’ personal information,” he said Wednesday. “While the administration claims that these safeguards exist, there is simply no way to verify these claims absent an independent review.”
Hatch’s bill is co-sponsored by 28 Senate Republicans, including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.). In the House, Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-Minn.) proposed a companion bill, along with three other Republicans.