One-third of Americans impacted by massive healthcare data breach

BALTIMORE, MD—A healthcare data breach has impacted up to one-third of all Americans, according to a new alert from the Maryland Attorney General’s office.

The breach, which occurred in February 2024 at the national electronic data clearinghouse Change Healthcare, also leaked sensitive health and personal data online, the alert said.

The clearinghouse is used by tens of thousands of healthcare providers, pharmacies, insurers, and doctor’s offices across the country. The breach may have exposed the names, birth dates, diagnoses, treatments, and other personal and medical information of patients.

Change Healthcare has not yet publicly identified the number of patients affected by the breach, but the company has said that it believes the data breach could impact up to one-third of all Americans. The company is also offering two years of free credit monitoring and identity theft protections to all affected patients.

The Maryland Attorney General’s office is encouraging residents to take steps to protect themselves and to monitor their credit reports for any suspicious activity. The office also reminds residents to be wary of unsolicited emails, texts, and phone calls from strangers requesting personal information.

Residents can also freeze their credit reports to prevent new loans and credit cards from being opened in their name. Additionally, they can also purchase identity theft insurance to protect themselves from the costs of an identity theft claim.

If you are concerned that your personal information has been compromised, you are encouraged to contact your insurance company or your health care provider to confirm what steps you should take.

Marylanders who choose to freeze their credit should do it by contacting each bureau—Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion—on the internet or by phone:

• Equifax | https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-freeze/
• +1 (888) 766-0008
• Experian | https://www.experian.com/freeze/center.html
• +1 (888) 397-3742
• TransUnion | https://www.transunion.com/credit-freeze

• +1 (800) 680-7289

This article was written with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a human editor.

Photo via Pixabay