Peters: Consumer Protection Must Be Our Top Priority

Press Release

Today, U.S. Representative Gary Peters released the following statement after voting in favor of H.R. 3811, the Health Exchange Security and Transparency Act. The bill passed the House by a vote of 291-122.

"While there have not been any confirmed security breaches with the healthcare.gov website to date, it's important to have a plan in place ahead of time should any problem arise in the future, and consumer protection must be our top priority."

Rep. Peters offered an amendment to the bill, which was not made in order, that would improve accountability in H.R. 3811 and make it solutions-driven to focus on not just notifying individuals of a breach, but requiring HHS to disclose steps taken to solve the problem. The amendment, which can be seen the House Rules Committee Website, requires the Department of Health and Human Services to notify individuals of the measures being taken to address the breach as well as recommended precautions individuals should take to protect themselves from potential harm resulting from the breach.

Peters continued, "Requiring notification of a security breach is an important first step, but Health and Human Services should do more than just notify consumers of a breach, they should work diligently to fix it. I urge Congress to consider this measure and take steps to strengthen accountability and consumer protection on the website."

He concluded, "I have consistently opposed efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, but have also supported measures that fix or improve healthcare reform. This bill, while not perfect, addresses a very important issue, one that I hope the Administration will attend to as well."

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