Earlier this month, Affiliated Computer Services confirmed a CD containing the personal data of 2.9 million Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids members was lost while being shipped from Georgia to Maryland.
The data covered a four-year period ending in June 2006 and included personal information such as addresses, birth dates, dates of eligibility, full names, Social Security numbers and Medicaid or PeachCare member identification numbers for current and former enrollees.
PeachCare is Georgia's health insurance program for the children of low-income families, while Medicaid is the health insurance program for the state’s poorest residents.
According to a statement released by ACS, the private contractor that handles health care claims for the state, there is “no indication that the CD that contained personal information is in the hands of an unauthorized party, or that any of the information on the CD has been misused.”
The statement continued that the Dallas-based computer company “will continue to work with the carrier to determine what happened and to locate the CD,” but ACS officials have declined to release the name of the mail carrier used to ship the information.
The Georgia Department of Community Health has requested that ACS provide all affected members with written notification and information on credit monitoring services along with an application for a free credit report.
The GDCH has also notified the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights, the Governor's Office of Consumer Affairs and the Office of Attorney General of Georgia of the situation.
Medicaid and PeachCare members are asked to call the help hotline established by the state and ACS at 1-866-213-3969 if they have questions or concerns.
The data covered a four-year period ending in June 2006 and included personal information such as addresses, birth dates, dates of eligibility, full names, Social Security numbers and Medicaid or PeachCare member identification numbers for current and former enrollees.
PeachCare is Georgia's health insurance program for the children of low-income families, while Medicaid is the health insurance program for the state’s poorest residents.
According to a statement released by ACS, the private contractor that handles health care claims for the state, there is “no indication that the CD that contained personal information is in the hands of an unauthorized party, or that any of the information on the CD has been misused.”
The statement continued that the Dallas-based computer company “will continue to work with the carrier to determine what happened and to locate the CD,” but ACS officials have declined to release the name of the mail carrier used to ship the information.
The Georgia Department of Community Health has requested that ACS provide all affected members with written notification and information on credit monitoring services along with an application for a free credit report.
The GDCH has also notified the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights, the Governor's Office of Consumer Affairs and the Office of Attorney General of Georgia of the situation.
Medicaid and PeachCare members are asked to call the help hotline established by the state and ACS at 1-866-213-3969 if they have questions or concerns.