Resources for Arkansans affected by data breach

FILE - Pages from the United Healthcare website are displayed on a computer screen in New York...
FILE - Pages from the United Healthcare website are displayed on a computer screen in New York on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024. On Thursday, Change Healthcare, a massive U.S. health care technology company owned by UnitedHealth Group, announced a ransomware group claimed responsibility for a cyberattack and is assessing the impact of the attack, which it first acknowledged on Feb. 21 and says has affected billing and care authorization portals.(AP Photo/Patrick Sison)
Published: Jul. 10, 2024 at 5:41 AM CDT

LITTLE ROCK, Ar. (KY3) - Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin announced resources to protect Arkansans from information that may have been stolen in Change Healthcare’s February data breach. Arkansans who are concerned their information may have been compromised can apply for 2 years worth of free credit monitoring and identity theft protection services.

Griffin launched an investigation into the cyberattack in March. He determined up to one-third of all Americans may have had their information breached.

“The delay in notifying Arkansans affected by the breach is unacceptable, and I am issuing this alert regarding Change Healthcare’s public offer of free credit monitoring and identity theft protection services.”

Attorney General Tim Griffin

Change Healthcare is the nation’s biggest electronic data clearinghouse. Change Healthcare’s technological infrastructure is used by tens of thousands of providers, pharmacies, and insurers to verify insurance, confirm pre-authorization of procedures or services, exchange insurance claim data, and perform other administrative tasks essential to the delivery of health care.

Change Healthcare is offering all Arkansas residents who believe they may have been impacted free credit monitoring and identity theft protections for two years. The dedicated website and call center will not be able to provide details to individuals about whether their data was impacted, and Change Healthcare has not determined the actual number and identity of affected consumers.

Griffin encourages Arkansans to use the following resources Change Healthcare has offered:

- For information on the breach, visit http://changecybersupport.com.

- To enroll in credit monitoring, visit http://changecybersupport.com or call (888) 846-4705.

- For additional support from Change Healthcare, call (866) 262-5342.

Griffin also encourages consumers to be aware of potential warning signs that someone is using their medical information. The signs include:

- A bill from their doctor for services that they did not receive

- Errors in their Explanation of Benefits statements

- A call from a debt collector about a medical debt that they do not owe

- Medical debt collection notices on their credit report that they do not recognize

- An unexpected notice from their health insurance company indicating they have reached their benefit limit

- Denial of insurance coverage because their medical records show a pre-existing condition that they do not have

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