The Missouri Department of Insurance says the insurance information of more than 400,000 Missourians are potentially impacted by data breach at Newkirk Products Inc., a service provider that issues healthcare ID cards for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City.
Information for 411,786 Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City members has been potentially exposed through the unauthorized access of Newkirk Product servers.
The data breach could potentially affect some personal information of 240,115 Kansans who have insurance with the company, according to the Kansas Insurance Department (KID). Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City operates in Johnson and Wyandotte counties of Kansas only. The company is separate from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Inc., according to the KID.
The data breach, which involved unauthorized access to a server containing certain personal information, did not have Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City members’ Social Security numbers, dates of birth, banking or credit card information, medical information or any insurance claims information; therefore this information was not accessed or compromised, the Missouri Insurance Department reported.
No health plans’ systems were accessed or affected in any way. Additionally, Newkirk Products Inc., has no evidence to date that such data has been used inappropriately.
Missouri Department of Insurance Director John M. Huff said that although “information like Social Security numbers and dates of birth for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City members was not accessed, I still encourage Missouri customers of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City to monitor their banking and other financial accounts for suspicious activity.”
Newkirk Products Inc., is sending formal notifications to impacted members of the breach. The letters will include an explanation of the incident, an offer of two years of free monitoring and identity restoration.
Newkirk Products Inc., has established a dedicated assistance line for anyone seeking additional information regarding this incident, as well as steps to better protect against identity theft. This assistance line can be reached at 1-855-303-9773 (TTY/TDD: 711). Newkirk has also established a dedicated website (www.newkirkproductsfacts.com) where members can access information regarding the incident, including frequently asked questions and answers.
Source: Kansas, Missouri Departments of Insurance
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