On September 30, 2022, Anthem MaineHealth (“AMH Health”) filed an official notice of a data breach with the Office of the Maine Attorney General after the company learned that patient data was compromised in a third-party data breach. According to AMH Health, the breach resulted in the following patient data being compromised: names, Social Security numbers, addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers, email addresses, Medicare ID numbers, Medicaid ID numbers and health plan carrier names. Recently, AMH Health sent out data breach letters to all affected parties, informing them of the incident and what they can do to protect themselves from identity theft and other frauds.
What We Know About the Anthem MaineHealth Data Breach
The available information regarding the Anthem MaineHealth / Choice Health breach comes from the company’s filing with the Office of the Maine Attorney General. According to this source, AMH Health was contacted by Choice Health on August 5, 2022, regarding a data breach affecting AMH Health patients that occurred on May 7, 2022.
Evidently, on May 14, 2022, Choice Health was informed that an unauthorized party was offering data that was allegedly stolen from the Choice Health network. In response, Choice Health launched an internal investigation with the assistance of third-party cybersecurity specialists.
On May 18, 2022, the Choice Health investigation confirmed that “due to a technical security configuration issue caused by a third-party service provider, a single Choice Health database was accessible through the Internet.” The company’s investigation determined that the period of unauthorized access began on or around May 7, 2022.
Upon discovering that sensitive consumer data was made available to an unauthorized party, Choice Health began to review the affected files to determine what information was compromised and which Anthem MaineHealth consumers were impacted. While the breached information varies depending on the individual, it may include your name, social security number, address, date of birth, phone number, email address, Medicare ID number, Medicaid ID number and health plan carrier name.
On September 30, 2022, Anthem MaineHealth sent out data breach letters to all individuals whose information was compromised as a result of the recent data security incident.
Anthem MaineHealth is a recently formed partnership between Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and MaineHealth that offers Medicare Advantage plans under the Anthem | MaineHealth brand. MaineHealth consists of nine health systems, a behavioral healthcare network, diagnostic services, home health agencies, and 1,700 providers, collectively referred to as MaineHealth Medical Group. MaineHealth employs more than 17,320 people and provides care to more than 1.1 million residents in Maine and New Hampshire.
Choice Health Insurance is an insurance company based in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Choice Health is an independent broker, meaning the company offers insurance products through various providers. Some of the plans offered by Choice Health include those issued by Humana, WellCare Health Plans, Anthem BlueCross BlueShield, Mutual of Omaha, United Healthcare, Cigna and Aetna. Choice Health also offers plans through healthcare.gov. Choice Health Insurance currently employs more than 130 individuals and generates approximately $33 million in annual sales.
If Choice Health or Anthem MaineHealth sent you a “Notice of data breach,” your information was among that which was compromised in the recent cyberattack. However, you have options to protect the safety of your information. You may also have the ability to pursue a claim against either company for leaking your information. To learn more, please see our recent piece on the topic here.
