The short answer is “yes – it’s likely.” This was the discussion I had last week with my daughter. After the major Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance data breach among others, many people are concerned.
My daughter, who just started a new job, got a notice from her employer that she was one of the 80 million people who had their health information hacked in February of this year. She was understandably very concerned.
So what should you do when you become aware that your information is hacked?
- If you notice something suspicious, notify your healthcare provider or insurance company immediately.
- If your healthcare provider or insurance company tells you your information has been compromised, it’s likely that they will provide you with identity theft coverage. If not, ask for it.
- Monitor your financial information and immediately report any strange charges.
In the case of the Anthem BCBS breach, BCBS provided 2 years of identity theft repair assistance, credit monitoring, and identity theft insurance to all the people affected by the breach.
One of the areas to pay attention to is your tax returns. For some of the BCBS customers who were hacked, the hackers filed fraudulent tax returns using the stolen information. When the person went to file their taxes, they were informed that they had already filed and received a refund.
Tell us whether you are concerned about hacking of your health information. We’d love to hear from you!
For more information about your health insurance, see HealthSpin’s Easy Healthcare: Choosing Your Health Insurance.
For more information about your health privacy, see HealthSpin’s Easy Healthcare: Healthcare Privacy.
We hope we’re helping you “Spin Your Healthcare Your Way!