Largest data breach of health information affects estimated third of U.S. population

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - A data breach compromising at least 100 million people is now the largest known breach of protected health information.

Change Healthcare, one of Monument Health’s suppliers, is one of the largest health payment processing companies in the world, exchanging health and payment information between patients, providers and healthcare payers.

On Monday, Dec. 16, Monument Health was informed by CHC that around 26,000 of their patients may have been impacted by this breach.

What happened?

In February of 2024, CHC was targeted by a ransomware attack, which is a malicious software that blocks computer system access until a certain amount of money is paid.

The Committee on Energy and Commerce says the attack was the result of UnitedHealth, parent company of CHC, not using multifactor authentication.

Despite UnitedHealth paying the ransom, the Committee says millions of Americans' sensitive information may have been leaked to the dark web.

What information was affected?

While CHC can’t confirm the exact information affected for every patient, it may include contact information, such as phone number, name and date of birth and one or more of the following:

• Health insurance information, such as member and group ID numbers.
• Health information, such as test results and images.
• Billing information, such as account numbers and balance due.
• Other sensitive information, such as Social Security numbers and driver’s licenses numbers.

What to do if you think your information has been affected?

CHC will contact affected patients by mail, they also advise patients to monitor for suspicious banking activity, benefits statements and credit reports. If suspicious activity is found, contact the appropriate agency to report it.

CHC will pay for services that offer credit monitoring and identity protection for two years. Anyone can enroll in these services for free, whether affected by the breach or not.

For further questions, call the CHC dedicated assistance line for affected individuals at 1-866-262-5342 available 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. CT Monday-Friday, or visit changecybersupport.com for more information.

CHC’s full notice can be found here.

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