Healthcare Data Breach Alert: Anthem Health Insurance Customers Beware

If you are an Anthem health insurance company customer, you should be aware that Anthem’s database of customer records was breached.  This is the largest healthcare data breach in U.S. history and could involve up to 80 million employees and customers.  Data that may have been compromised include names, birthdates, Social Security numbers, mailing addresses, e-mail addresses, employment information and wages. Patsy O’Brien, Chief Operating Officer of Smith and Howard points out, “What many people do not realize is that the data included in the breach goes back to 2004. Just because you were a customer several years ago doesn’t mean your data is safe. In addition, the breach potentially affects every family member who is or was on an Anthem plan.”

If you do not monitor your credit on an annual basis, this event should be your wake-up call.  Free credit report applications are available here. If you were an Anthem customer, we strongly recommend you visit this site and follow their recommended steps.

In addition to protecting your individual identity, do not be misled into thinking that breaches of computer data concern only mega-corporations. The problem is rapidly escalating for small-business owners. According to a recent survey, 55% of small businesses have experienced a data breach, while 53% of those businesses had multiple breaches.

Are you concerned with the risk of identity theft? Please call us at 404-874-6244 or fill out our contact form below for more information.