Ana Ceballos
Thousands of Floridians enrolled in Florida’s Medicaid program are being notified that their medical records and personal information may have been compromised, the state’s Agency of Health Care Administration said.
The data breach occurred after a state employee opened a malicious phishing email last November. The incident may have exposed the Social Security numbers, dates of birth, Medicaid ID numbers and private health care information of up to 30,000 Floridians, a two-month-review by the Inspector General found.
While the review is ongoing, AHCA has so far been able to confirm that the Medicaid IDs and/or Social Security numbers of approximately 1,800 clients have been potentially accessed.
In response, AHCA officials are offering those affected a free one-year membership to an identity theft protection program, even though they contend there is no reason to believe individuals’ information has been misused.
No other state systems or email accounts were targeted and AHCA is currently exploring additional security options to protect against further breaches.
For more information, including steps one may take to protect themselves from potential information, enrollees may call the Agency’s hotline at 1-844-749-8327.
