Anthem Data Breach Class Action Filed

A class action lawsuit has been filed against Anthem Blue Cross over allegations the insurance company failed to protect applicants’ confidential information from computer hackers who gained access to the company’s internal records earlier this year. The company is being accused of subjecting its applicants to identity theft and medical privacy invasion during the data breach that occurred June 18.

The Anthem Blue Cross class action lawsuit alleges confidential information such as Social Security numbers, addresses and credit card numbers of hundreds of thousands of applicants were released during the data breach, possibly exposing class members to identity theft. The breach also allegedly exposed class members’ personal medical information, which they were required to submit with their applications.

The data breach occurred at a website used by prospective customers to apply for individual health insurance policies, so only customers who had pending insurance applications in the system were affected by the breach. Hackers were able to manipulate the web address (URL) within the website used to allow people applying for individual insurance to track the status of their applications.

Anthem Blue Cross declined to comment on the lawsuit but sent letters to 230,000 Anthem customers informing them that their personal information might have been accessed during the security breach. The insurer is unsure exactly how many records were viewed, but said in the letters that it addressed the problem as soon as it learned about the breach.