mr. chairman , i thank the gentleman from california ( mr. filner ) xz4001330 for bringing this very critical issue to the ears and eyes of the congress as well as the ears and eyes of america . 
in indianapolis , indiana , we have over 100 , 000 medicare recipients , and in indiana we have over 877 , 000 . 
and as all of the members know , the criminals devise ways at all times to break laws and to steal people 's identity . 
people in nursing homes die unexpectedly , and workers , not all of them of course , steal social security numbers and abuse them before the social security administration has an opportunity to close down that particular number . 
so i appreciate very much this effort . 
i think it is very vital . 
and as i read the amendment , it is on new medicare cards and not ones that exist at the present time . 
so it would not require an entire overhauling of the medicare card system to implement this particular amendment . 
and i would again commend the gentleman from california ( mr. filner ) xz4001330 for his insight and foresight in bringing this very vital issue to the congress . 
