Notification Regarding the Change Healthcare Cyberattack

Notification Regarding the Change Healthcare Cyberattack

The cyberattack on Change Healthcare (CHC), detected on February 21, 2024, has had widespread impacts on healthcare operations across the United States. Recent investigations into the incident have determined that Nippon Life Benefits’ Members, and their personal health information, were affected by the cyberattack.

Nippon Life Benefits remains committed to protecting our customers' confidential information. We continue to monitor the situation closely and will provide updates as received. CHC has begun to directly contact those individuals who they’ve identified as being affected by this incident. However, we encourage all of our members to visit https://www.unitedhealthgroup.com/ns/health-data-breach.html to access the support services provided by CHC, including the dedicated call center for credit monitoring and identity theft protection enrollment, as well as emotional support services.

Additional and supporting notification information may also be found by clicking on the following link: https://www.changehealthcare.com/hipaa-substitute-notice.html, and below:

FAQ

What patient or member PHI/PII was potentially impacted?
While CHC cannot confirm exactly what data has been affected for each specific individual, based on its review, information involved may have included contact information (such as first and last name, address, date of birth, phone number, and email) and one or more of the following:

  • Health insurance information (such as primary, secondary or other health plans/policies, insurance companies, member/group ID numbers and Medicaid-Medicare-government payor ID numbers);
  • Health information (such as medical record numbers, providers, diagnoses, medicines, test results, images, care and treatment);
  • Billing, claims and payment information (such as claim numbers, account numbers, billing codes, payment cards, financial and banking information, payments made and balance due); and/or
  • Other personal information such as Social Security numbers, drivers licenses or state ID numbers, or passport numbers.

 

The information that may have been involved was not the same for every impacted individual. Also, some of this information may have related to guarantors who paid bills for health care services.
Here are some steps individuals can take to protect themselves:

  • Any individual concerned that their information may have been impacted by this incident can enroll in two years of complimentary credit monitoring and identity protection services. CHC is paying for the costs of these services for two years.
  • Individuals should be on the lookout and regularly monitor the explanation of benefits statements received from their health plan and statements from health care providers as well as bank and credit card statements, credit reports, and tax returns, to check for any unfamiliar activity.
  • If individuals notice any health care services they did not receive listed on an explanation of benefits statement, they should contact their health plan or doctor.
  • If individuals notice any suspicious activity on bank or credit card statements or on tax returns they should immediately contact their financial institution and/or credit card statements or on tax returns, they should immediately contact their financial institution and/or credit card company or relevant agency.
  • If an individual believes they are the victim of a crime, they can contact local law enforcement authorities and file a police report.

 

What is CHC Doing?
When CHC learned about the activity, CHC immediately began an investigation with support from leading cybersecurity experts and law enforcement. In response to this incident, CHC immediately took action to shut down systems and sever connectivity to prevent further impact. CHC has also reinforced its policies and practices and implemented additional safeguards in an effort to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future. CHC, along with leading external industry experts, continues to monitor the internet and dark web.
CHC is also sharing this website link (called a substitute notice) with additional resources in the Reference Guide for any individual who believes they may be impacted or who may have questions. The link is https://changehealthcare.optum.com/en/hipaa-substitute-notice.html.

For More Information
As CHC continues to work with leading industry experts to analyze data involved in this cyberattack, immediate support and robust protections are available to individuals who may be concerned about their information.
CHC regrets any inconvenience or concern caused by this incident. CHC has established a dedicated call center to offer additional resources and information to people who believe they may have been affected by this incident. Individuals can visit changecybersupport.com for more information and details on these resources or call the toll-free call center, which also includes trained clinicians to provide support services. The call center’s number is: 1-866-262-5342, available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. CT.

Contact the U.S. Federal Trade Commission
If you detect any unauthorized transactions in any of your financial accounts, promptly notify the appropriate payment card company or financial institution. If you detect any incidents of identity theft or fraud, promptly report the matter to your local law enforcement authorities, state Attorney General and the FTC.
You can contact the FTC to learn more about how to protect yourself from becoming a victim of identity theft by using the contact information below:
Federal Trade Commission
Consumer Response Center
600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20580
1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338)
www.ftc.gov/idtheft/

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