Data Breach of Premera Health Insurer Exposes 11 Million Customers to Hackers
Premera Blue Cross, a health insurer based in the Pacific Northwest, announced March 17, 2015, that hackers may have accessed health profiles of 11 million current and past customers dating back to 2002. Premera confirmed the profiles contained information including social security numbers, birthdates, addresses, bank account information, clinical information, and detailed insurance claims.
The insurer stated hackers accessed its database from May 4, 2014, until January 29, 2015, when the breach was discovered.
This data breach is eerily similar to a massive data breach reported by health insurer Anthem in February 2015. In the Anthem breach, hackers accessed personal information of approximately 80 million customers including names, social security numbers, birthdates, addresses, and employment information. Lawsuits have been filed against Anthem for not protecting sensitive customer information it kept in its database. For more information about the Anthem lawsuit or if you have questions about the Premera data breach, contact us. Our class action attorneys have a depth of experience litigating consumer protection claims and can advise you of your legal rights and options.