INDIANAPOLIS—Anthem, the second-largest health insurer in the U.S., said that its systems have been breached that data related to approximately 80-million customers and employees may be at risk.
According to the company and to investigators, it is likely that as many as “tens of millions” of records have been stolen. That data included names, birthdays, addresses and Social Security numbers, but doesn’t appear to involve medical information or financial details such as credit-card or bank-account numbers, nor are there signs the data are being sold on the black market, according to investigators.
Anthem, which offers Blue Cross Blue Shield plans in California, New York and other states, said it is unclear what data was obtained and how it was obtained. The company said it will be reaching out to customers whose information was included in the hacked database, and is also setting up a website to provide information and will be offering a credit monitoring service, as well.
Anthem, which discovered the breach itself, also revealed news of the breach itself, something many companies that have suffered breaches have not done.