The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation (WPS) are mailing written notifications to 946,801 people whose protected health information or other personally identifiable information may have been compromised. As a result, some Medicare beneficiaries will be getting new Medicare cards and numbers.
What Happened?
On July 8, 2024, WPS notified CMS that files containing protected health information, such as Medicare claims data, and related personally identifiable information was compromised in a cybersecurity incident involving a third-party software, MOVEit. A vulnerability in the software made it possible for unauthorized third parties to gain access to personal information that was transferred to CMS using the software. However, CMS is not aware of any reports of identity fraud or improper use of your Personal Information as a direct result of this incident, but they are taking this opportunity to notify beneficiaries.
What Information Was Involved?
CMS has determined that Personal Information was present in certain files involved in this data breach incident. This information may have included the following information:
- Name
- Social Security Number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number
- Date of Birth
- Mailing Address
- Gender
- Hospital Account Number
- Dates of Service
- Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) and/or Health Insurance Claim Number
What is CMS Doing?
CMS is continuing to investigate this incident in coordination and will take all appropriate actions to safeguard the information. If your MBI was potentially affected, a new Medicare card with a new number will be issued to you. CMS will mail the new card to your address in the coming weeks. In the meantime, you can continue to use your existing Medicare number. WPS is offering a complimentary 12 months of credit monitoring and other services from Experian at no cost to you. They also recommend that you receive a copy of your free credit report using www.annualcreditreport.com
What happens if are notified that you will receive a new Medicare number?
Keep an eye out for your new card! You can continue to use your existing Medicare card until it arrives. After you get your new card, you should follow the instructions in the letter that comes with your new card, destroy your old Medicare card, and inform all of your providers that you have a new Medicare Number.
For More Information
If you have any further questions regarding this incident, please call the Experian dedicated and confidential toll-free response line at 833-931-5700. This response line is staffed with professionals familiar with this incident who know what you can do to help protect against misuse of your information. You can see the original CMS notification here.
