Conn. AG Probes WellPoint Breach

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal is investigating a data breach at health insurer WellPoint Inc., according to multiple reports.


Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal is investigating a data breach at health insurer WellPoint Inc., according to multiple reports.

The WellPoint breach, which originated with Anthem Blue Cross in California and eventually included other states, has affected at least 470,000 individuals. Blumenthal, a candidate for the U.S. Senate, believes the breach has affected 5,600 individuals in Connecticut.

That is significant because after a late 2009 breach at insurer Health Net affected 1.5 million members including 446,000 in Connecticut, Blumenthal investigated, then filed a lawsuit charging the insurer with violations of the HIPAA privacy and security rules.

The HITECH Act of 2009 expanded enforcement jurisdiction of the rules to state attorneys general. Blumenthal's office has not responded to two requests for comment on the WellPoint investigation.

--Joseph Goedert

 

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