Nearly 1 million Medicare beneficiaries are being notified that their personal information may have been exposed due to a data breach. The breach involved the MOVEit file transfer system used by the Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation (WPS). WPS manages Medicare claims and conducts audits for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
The breach was discovered after WPS determined that an unauthorized third party had copied files during the incident. The exposed information includes names, birthdates, mailing addresses, genders, hospital account numbers, dates of service, and Social Security numbers. Written notifications are being sent to 946,801 affected Medicare beneficiaries.
Wisconsin Medicare data breach details
In response to the breach, affected beneficiaries will receive new Medicare cards and numbers. Agencies involved in managing Medicare and healthcare services are closely monitoring the situation.
So far, no reports of identity fraud or improper use of the exposed data have been reported. The CMS and the Department of Health and Human Services had jointly announced last summer that the breach might affect over 600,000 current Medicare beneficiaries. Affected individuals are advised to stay vigilant and look out for any suspicious activities involving their personal information.
The CMS and WPS are taking steps to protect the affected beneficiaries and prevent future breaches.
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