Premera Blue Cross Data Breach Prompts 5 Class Action Lawsuits

Premera Blue Cross is facing five class action lawsuits filed on behalf of Premera customers who claim that the insurer was negligent, breached its contract with customers, violated the Washington Consumer Protection Act, and failed to disclose a data breach in a timely manner.

The Premera data breach class action lawsuits, filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle on behalf of Premera customers from Washington, Nevada and Massachusetts, say that Premera should be held financially responsible for any losses customers suffer, as well as award damages and restitution, immediately notify each person whose information was compromised and prevent breaches from happening in the future, according to legal documents filed with the court.

The data breach lawsuits further argue Premera violated the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), as well as the insurer’s own privacy policies, by allowing the data to be accessed. In doing so, the Premera lawsuits say, the company has put customers at risk of identity theft, bank fraud, tax fraud and medical-identity fraud.

Overview of Premera Blue Cross Data Breach

As many as 11 million people may have suffered exposure of their medical and financial information as a result of a massive data breach of health insurer Premera Blue Cross.

The cyber attack is alleged to have begun in May 2014, with cyber thieves hacking the company’s networks and gaining access to customer data including clinical information, as well as access to a range of subscriber information, including name, address, email address, telephone number, date of birth, Social Security number, member identification number, medical claims information and in some cases, bank account information.

After news of the data breach, which could affect more than 6 million current and former Washington policyholders, Washington state Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler launched an investigation into Premera. Kriedler is particularly concerned about the delay in informing customers about the data breach.

Premera said the data that may have been involved in the healthcare hack dates as far back as 2002.

The data involves current and former customers of Premera Blue Cross, Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alaska, Vivacity, Connexion Insurance Solutions, and Premera’s LifeWise affiliates in Washington, Oregon and Arizona, as well as LifeWise Assurance.

Premera Data Breach Class Action Lawsuit

Numerous federal laws and regulations require health insurers like Premera to utilize the strictest measures possible to protect the personal information of its applicants and subscribers. The company has also been harshly criticized for not telling victims until six weeks after Premera discovered the data breach.

The Premera Blue Cross class action lawsuits seek an undetermined amount of compensation for the future economic losses suffered by up to 11 million Premera policyholders.

Join a Free Premera Blue Cross Data Breach Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you were insured by Premera and/or its affiliates between 2002 and Jan. 29, 2015, you may have a legal claim for compensation. This includes all individuals who fall into one of the following categories:

• Premera Blue Cross subscriber or applicant
• Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alaska subscriber or applicant
• Vivacity applicant, customer, or member
• Connexion applicant, customer, or member
• Individuals “doing business” with Premera
• Members of other Blue Cross Blue Shield plans who sought treatment in Washington or Alaska
• Members of LifeWise Health Plan of Oregon and other Premera subsidiaries

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