BOSTON — February 24, 2015 — We are learning more about the recent cyber-attack on Anthem, Inc. (Anthem). After careful analysis of the data Anthem provided to us, we have discovered that approximately 375,000 Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts members were impacted. These individuals include current and former members who used their Blue Cross and Blue Shield insurance in a state where Anthem operates* over the last 10 years, and some members enrolled in our Medicare Part D drug plan, Blue Medicare Rx, for the years 2006-2009.

It is important to note that:

• Most of our members impacted reside in another state and work for an employer who is headquartered in Massachusetts.
• Data elements for most impacted members include:
  • First and last name
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts ID number
  • gender
  • City, state, and zip code
  • Date of birth
• A representative from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts will personally call the very small fraction of those members who also had their Social Security Numbers accessed.
• Credit card, medical or financial information was not accessed for any of our members.
• We strongly encourage that any member concerned about this breach take advantage of the two years of free credit monitoring and identity protection services provided by Anthem.

*States Anthem covers are: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Background on Anthem cyber-attack
On January 29, 2015, Anthem discovered that it was the target of a very sophisticated external cyber-attack. These attackers gained unauthorized access to Anthem's IT system and obtained personal information from consumers who are current and former members of Anthem's associated health plans, as well as information from consumers covered by other independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans working with Anthem, including Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts.

Free 2-year identity protection
Free identity protection services will be provided by Anthem's vendor AllClear ID—a leading and trusted identity protection provider. Those impacted can access these services prior to receiving a mailed notification from Anthem, which will be sent in the coming weeks. Members may access these services at any time during the 24 month coverage period. Visit AnthemFacts.com to learn how to access these services. Members may also access identity repair services by calling 877-263-7995.

The free identity protection services provided by Anthem include two years of:

Identity Theft Repair Assistance: Should a member experience fraud, an investigator will do the work to recover financial losses, restore the member’s credit, and ensure the members' identity is returned to its proper condition. This assistance will cover any fraud that has occurred since the incident first began.

Credit Monitoring: At no cost, members may also enroll in additional protections, including credit monitoring. Credit monitoring alerts consumers when banks and creditors use their identity to open new credit accounts.

Child Identity Protection: Child-specific identity protection services will also be offered to any members with children insured through their Anthem plan.

Identity theft insurance: For individuals who enroll, the company has arranged for $1,000,000 in identity theft insurance, where allowed by law.

Identity theft monitoring/fraud detection: For members who enroll, data such as credit card numbers, social security numbers and emails will be scanned against aggregated data sources maintained by top security researchers that contain stolen and compromised individual data, in order to look for any indication that the members'; data has been compromised.

Phone Alerts: Individuals who register for this service and provide their contact information will receive an alert when there is a notification from a credit bureau, or when it appears from identity theft monitoring activities that the individual's identity may be compromised.

Anthem has established a dedicated website www.AnthemFacts.com where members can access information, including frequent questions and answers.

About Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts 
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (www.bluecrossma.com) is a community-focused, tax-paying, not-for-profit health plan headquartered in Boston. We are the trusted health plan for more than 30,000 Massachusetts employers and are committed to working with others in a spirit of shared responsibility to make quality health care affordable. Consistent with our corporate promise to always put our 2.8 million members first, we are rated among the nation's best health plans for member satisfaction and quality. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn.