🔥 MAKE 1 SSN = 1 PERSON 🔥

Amidst all the discussion of why it is so important that the SSN database is such a mess, the below article from @Heminator is a must-read as to the problem of how the government encourages the usage of stolen Social Security Numbers. 👇

When you read it, keep in mind that government accounting is inherently self-serving and decentralized, creating misaligned incentives across agencies.

For example: the Treasury Department may benefit from increased tax revenue when stolen SSNs are used for employment, giving it little reason to discourage the practice. However, Treasury has no incentive to consider the downstream costs this imposes on other federal programs, such as increased Medicaid enrollment. Meanwhile, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has its own incentive to expand Medicaid rolls, as a larger recipient base justifies budget increases and greater institutional influence.

The core issue is the absence of a centralized, holistic assessment of the broader impact of stolen SSNs—because each agency benefits in isolation, no entity is accountable for the overall consequences.