Exploring The Black Market For Health Care Data
President Barack Obama is hosting a cyber security summit today, which will focus on figuring out ways to protect consumers from hackers and data breaches. NPR takes a look at how the black market functions for personal health care information. Meanwhile, more news emerges about the Anthem data breach.
NPR:
The Black Market For Stolen Health Care Data
President Obama is at Stanford University today, hosting a cybersecurity summit. He and about a thousand guests are trying to figure out how to protect consumers online from hacks and data breaches. Meanwhile, in the cyber underworld, criminals are trying to figure out how to turn every piece of our digital life into cash. The newest frontier: health records. (Shahani, 2/13)
Los Angeles Times:
Anthem Says Hackers Had Access To Customer Data Back To 2004
Insurance giant Anthem Inc. said Thursday that hackers had access to customer data going back to 2004 as investigations continue into the massive breach. The nation's second-largest health insurer disclosed the new time frame as it prepares to offer two years of free identity-theft protection to millions of affected consumers starting Friday. (Terhune, 2/12)
Los Angeles Times:
Anthem Data Breach Poses A Big Test For Its CEO
In unusually blunt terms, the chief executive of Anthem Inc. told investors recently that his company and the health insurance industry rank last in customer service. That was before the insurance giant disclosed a massive data breach last week affecting as many as 80 million Americans. Now, there's a lot at stake in how CEO Joseph Swedish handles his first full-blown crisis at the nation's second-largest health insurer. (Terhune, 2/12)
Modern Healthcare:
Anthem Beefs Up Identity-Theft Protections Amid Criticism
Anthem health plan customers affected by the recent data breach can sign up for two years of free credit monitoring and identity theft protection services starting Friday, the insurer told state attorneys general. The updates come as Anthem works to stem the damage from a historic data breach that exposed the personal information of up to 80 million people. But at least in the short term, the incident does not appear to be negatively affecting Anthem's enrollment efforts in the waning days of the Affordable Care Act's sign-up period. (Herman, 2/12)
