Golden State Today

California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a consumer alert today, sharing protection resources and raising awareness about the availability of free credit monitoring and identity theft protection services following Change Healthcare’s data breach in February. In April, Attorney General Bonta, along with 22 other attorneys general, sent a letter to UnitedHealth Group, Inc., urging the corporation to take more meaningful action to protect those affected by the breach.

“The cyberattack against Change Healthcare put the personal information of far too many consumers at risk,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Alongside attorneys general across the country, I urge California consumers to take advantage of the resources available to protect them from identity theft and more, including by enrolling in the two years of free credit monitoring and identity theft protections. My office is committed to protecting the rights of patients and consumers, including those affected by data breaches.”

Change Healthcare, a unit of UnitedHealth, is the nation’s largest electronic data clearinghouse. Its technological infrastructure is used by tens of thousands of providers, pharmacies, and insurers for various administrative tasks essential to healthcare delivery.

The February cyberattack disrupted operations for numerous doctors’ offices, hospitals, and pharmacies. It also resulted in sensitive health and personal data being leaked onto the dark web. The exact number and identities of affected patients remain unknown.

UnitedHealth has stated that up to a third of all Americans could be impacted by this data breach. Typically, impacted California residents receive individualized notifications if their data was compromised; however, Change Healthcare has not yet provided such notices. Given this situation's significant impact, it is advised that everyone takes advantage of available free resources.

Change Healthcare offers two years of free credit monitoring and identity theft protections through IDX. These resources are available to all California residents who believe they may have been impacted by the cyberattack. A dedicated website (changecybersupport.com) and call center (1-888-846-4705) have been set up to assist consumers.

For additional support from Change Healthcare call 1-866-262-5342.

Consumers should watch for potential warning signs that someone is using their medical information:

- Bills for services they did not receive

- Errors in Explanation of Benefits statements

- Calls from debt collectors about medical debts they do not owe

- Unrecognized medical debt collection notices on credit reports

- Notices indicating benefit limits reached or denials due to pre-existing conditions they do not have

If concerned about their data but preferring not to use Change Healthcare's free resources, consumers can consider freezing their credit with each bureau: Experian (https://www.experian.com/freeze/center.html), Equifax (https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-freeze/), and TransUnion (https://www.transunion.com/credit-freeze).

Attorney General Bonta joined a bipartisan group of attorneys general nationwide in sharing these consumer protection resources.