COLUMN-New Medicare cards a lone bright spot in identity-theft battle

Older Americans are especiallyvulnerable to scams and identity theft, and Medicare is doingsomething about it.U.S. seniors will start receiving newidentification cards next year as part of an effort to protectthem from the rising risk of fraud.Medicare cards use an identifier called the Health InsuranceClaim Number (HICN) - but right now it is the same as yourSocial Security number.