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MEDICARE SECTION
CMS (Medicare) BREACH OF DATA NOTICE – Are You affected?
Sharing information is critical and here is what you should know: There was a ransomware attack in October 2022 on a subcontractor that may have affected some Medicare enrollees. The article below (and link to the CMS announcement) explains more. Nothing is required for you to do at this time. I/We just wanted you to be aware!
On December 14, 2022, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that an October ransomware attack on a subcontractor may have compromised the personal information of up to 254,000 Medicare enrollees. CMS is mailing a letter to all potentially affected Medicare enrollees to notify them of the data breach and what steps CMS is taking to protect them.
CMS is issuing all potentially affected enrollees a new Medicare number and a new Medicare card. If and when an enrollee receives a new Medicare card, the enrollee should update their Medicare information with all of their health care providers and destroy the old card. CMS will also offer free-of-charge credit monitoring services to impacted enrollees.
It should be noted that this breach does not affect all Medicare enrollees—most are not affected. Nor does it mean that those enrollees who are affected will necessarily experience any harm. Affected enrollees should, however, monitor their bank accounts and other financial accounts, credit cards, and credit records, and report any suspicious activity to the relevant financial institution or credit agency immediately.
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