Medicare fraud is a huge problem in the United States. It is estimated that it costs taxpayers more than $60 billion each year. Some experts believe the number is higher than that figure. These rising costs are driving up federal budget deficits that endanger our future. There is enough money in Medicare fraud that if we were to take that amount, it would be enough to pay for a healthcare reform. Medicare is a huge problem for the United States and is costing taxpayers billions each year. One way we can protect against Medicare fraud is to mandate that Medicare records be electronically stored in a central data base and then protecting that data by securing the access with technology such as two factor authentication. Two factor authentication is a secure and effective way to protect sensitive data and is also an effective way to combat Medicare fraud.
Medicare fraud has become one of the most profitable crimes in America and will continue to rise as long as criminals find ways to exploit the weaknesses in the Medicare system. Medicare fraud has become much more sophisticated and these criminals recruit patients, get patient lists, find doctors, and look for new ways to commit Medicare scams.
In locations like Florida, Medicare fraud has become bigger than the drug trade. Rather than stealing or making $100,000 to $200,000 off of drug sales, they can steal millions off of Medicare fraud. In cities like Los Angeles, the City of Angels Medical Center recruited homeless people off the street to fill their beds, offering them food and money, meanwhile billing Medicare millions of dollars for their stay.
There are even companies that provide “lists” of Medicare patients that include their name, social security numbers, addresses, and dates of birth. With those four pieces of information, a criminal can bill the government for a patient. Copies of patient information can sell for $10 per patient on the black market and it is common for fraudsters to purchase thousands of these patient lists and then bill Medicare. Many of these lists are stolen from doctor’s offices and hospitals. Many of these charges go unnoticed because Medicare auditors can only check a fraction of these charges to see if they’re legitimate claims.
The Medicare system is based on trust and when the Medicare program was introduced in the 1960’s, it was assumed that no one would try to defraud the system that was designed to take care of the elderly people’s health needs. The government is required to reimburse Medicare vendors in less than 30 days, and in most cases Medicare “auto adjudicates” which means that as long as the computers decide that the right codes are being sent and the right forms are filled out, checks are sent to the vendors. This is a huge flaw in the Medicare system and the right security measures need to be put in place to prevent this kind of fraud. The Medicare system needs to be reformed and security measures need to be put in place to prevent access to sensitive data and to prevent unauthorized users from accessing it.
Security methods such as two factor authentication are an effective way to combat unauthorized access of users trying to fraud the system. By using two factor authentication, health care workers have to present two factors of identifying themselves to access the healthcare records of patients to ensure that they are authorized to access the data and to ensure their identity. Two factor authentication methods are also fairly cheap to implement and can be a very cost efficient way of combating Medicare fraud. One of the most effective ways to implement two factor authentication and the cost effective ways is to implement two factor authentication is to use a login/password combination in conjunction with a one-time password sent through a mobile device such as a smart phone or a tablet. Using this method, a user is identified with their username/login credentials and also through their mobile device that receives a one-time password through an out of band network that ensures that they are who they say they are. This is an effective and cost efficient way to identify someone because most users already have a mobile device such as a mobile phone and adding this additional layer of security can thwart fraudulent access because even if an unauthorized user has a user’s login credentials, they would not be able to access the one time password that is being sent through the mobile device.
Two factor authentication can be easily incorporated, can be low cost and requires minimal training. If we took a fraction of the $60 billion that it costs taxpayers like you and me each year and used it to incorporate two factor authentication into Medicare security systems, we would be saving a significant amount on Medicare and preventing a lot of fraudulent activity. The Medicare system needs to be reformed and it needs to be reformed in a hurry with an importance on strengthening the security system.
Today, February 7th, 2012 is officially Safer Internet Day (SID). Safer Internet Day is a global campaign that promotes a safer and healthier internet for everyone to use. It is organized by Insafe and was co-founded by the European Union and encourages responsible use of the internet, online technologies and online services. Safer Internet Day spreads across Europe, Asia, Latina America, Australia, and the United States. As more and more people gain access to the internet and more generations of people are connecting online, internet security concerns are on the rise. More elderly people than ever are accessing the internet, joining social media sites, and engaging in online communities. Studies show that almost half of all under 12 year old kids are using facebook.com and other social media sites. With this broad user base and growing number of online users, online security measures need to be strengthened to keep users and their personal information safe. Most internet sites and internet logins for social media sites use strong passwords which are a combination of a login and static password. These static logins and passwords have long been considered safe, but as technology and hackers advance, online security needs to change and advance as well. Two factor authentication is a great way to increase online security and protect users.
Two factor authentication can be incorporated in any online login session and can be relatively cheap to implement. Two factor authentication is a way to authenticate based on two or more of the three types of factors to identify someone. The first factor would be something the user knows, the second factor would be something the user has, and the third factor being something the user is. Combining someone’s login, or something they know, and combining something that someone has, such as a mobile phone with a onetime password sent to it, is a very effective form and one of the most cost efficient forms of two factor authentication available today. By incorporating a device such as a mobile phone, which most users already have, there is no need for additional hardware to deploy and extra hardware for users to carry around. Two factor authentication can help users protect their personal information by helping to thwart unauthorized users from accessing their accounts.
Using two factor authentication with a login and one time password sent to a mobile device is effective because there are 2 layers of security present. The first layer would be the login and password and the second layer would be the one time password sent to the mobile device to authenticate the user. Even if an unauthorized user were to access someone’s login and password, they wouldn’t be able to retrieve the password that is sent to the mobile device.
Microsoft and AARP conducted a study that found that 83 percent of teens, young adults, parents and older adults are going online to help with family communication. With these generations of users using the internet to connect and communicate with each other, higher security needs to be adapted and used so that these users are protected. Companies such as Microsoft and Google are launching security centers online to provide assistance and guidance for users to navigate the internet more safely, but there needs to be layered security such as two factor authentication to really ensure the safety of users online. Security guides and tips are useful, but what is really protecting users from unauthorized users from trying to access their accounts? Hacking, malware, And phishing tactics have all evolved as the internet landscape has changed, but security has remained stagnant with more users going online and needing online security more than ever.
The focus on Safer Internet Day shouldn’t just be on giving guidance and tips on how to navigate the online world more safely, but should be on how organizations can incorporate online security such as two factor authentication to protect their users and how users can use two factor authentication to protect themselves from intruders trying to access their accounts. More emphasis needs to be on training and guiding users to using better security measures online to really make it a safer internet day and many days ahead for all users.
On Windows 7, just go to Start > Control Panel > System and Security > Windows Update and then “Change settings” in the sidebar at the left. Note that the layout is slightly different depending on the version of Windows.
On Sunday, January 22nd, UFC.com was hacked. UFC.com was rerouted to the site UGnazi.com several times. Dana White, the UFC’s president, called the site’s organizers terrorists at the “UFC on Fox 2” press conference. The hacking of UFC.com is said to be the result of Dana White and the company’s support of SOPA and PIPA. The SOPA and PIPA bills are aimed at stopping online piracy.
The attack was also reported to be because of retaliation for the shutdown of the file sharing website Megaupload.com.
Dana White did not tweet about the incident as he usually does about any incident related to UFC.com. Dana White taunted the hackers to attack the site again saying reportedly, “Keep hacking our site, do it again. Do it tonight.” The hacker that took credit for the hacking didn’t hack the site again, but posted Dana White’s personal information, including social security number, residential addresses, a vehicle identification number and personal phone number in reaction to the taunt.
The hacker is now reportedly targeting Dana White. Dana White responded by saying that he’s not afraid of the internet and that it’s where the cowards live.
The hacking attacks might have been prevented if the UFC’s servers were protected by layered security such as two factor authentication. If the servers were protected with two factor authentication, the network administrator could have been alerted that the site was being hacked and the hacker would have a much harder time gaining access to the site and redirecting it to another site.
Big organizations such as the UFC.com aren’t immune to attacks and they should take precautionary measures to protect themselves against these types of attacks. Two factor authentication is relatively cheap to implement compared to other security solutions, easy to use, and is a very effective way to thwart hacking attacks. If the UFC can incorporate layered security into their servers and access controls, they have a better chance at protecting against future attacks and securing their servers. If the UFC were as aggressive on implementing security methods on their site as they are with their marketing, they would be a much more secure company with a much more secure website.
The hacking of UFC.com should have been addressed more seriously because a hacking incident like this should not be taken lightly. Dana White and the UFC should acknowledge the hacking incident and also ensure fans of the website and organization that the site is easy to use since there are users that login to the site for updates and news. Tickets are also purchased through UFC.com for events and users need to feel safe that their payment information and personal information will not be hacked and that the UFC.com is a secure site. We will find out if the UFC will address the issue more seriously and if they will be hacked again. Mixed Martial Arts is a popular sport and the UFC has a strong hold on the sport so fans will probably continue to log onto the site, but the UFC needs to be doing a better job at securing their website and servers so that hacking incidents don’t occur again and so that sensitive data of their users will be safe.
