Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Sensitive Personal Data Of About 75,000 People Exposed In HealthCare.Gov Breach
The Associated Press: Hackers Breach HealthCare.Gov System, Get Data On 75,000
A government computer system that interacts with HealthCare.gov was hacked earlier this month, compromising the sensitive personal data of some 75,000 people, officials said Friday. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services made the announcement late in the afternoon ahead of a weekend, a time slot agencies often use to release unfavorable developments. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 10/19)
The Washington Post: Consumer Data Compromised In Affordable Care Act Enrollment Portal
The breach, involving a system used by agents and brokers as part of the insurance program, exposed credit and other personal information. It throws into turmoil one aspect of the ACA’s insurance-signup process less than two weeks before the start of the annual enrollment period for coverage created by the 2010 health-care law. According to a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the online pathway for agents and brokers into the federal insurance exchange was shut down earlier this week, though officials hope to reopen it a few days before the Nov. 1 start of the six-week enrollment period. (Goldstein, 10/19)
