OAKLAND, Calif. (March 28, 2025) – Blue Shield of California began notifying 624 members of a data mismatch error. This error may have allowed individuals on the same health plan, typically known as family member(s), the ability to view each other’s health records in their Member Health Record feature on the Blue Shield Member Portal between October 29, 2024, and November 11, 2024.
Following a thorough investigation, it was determined that the issue occurred because Blue Shield provided a health information exchange with data that erroneously included multiple names of members within the same health plan under one subscriber ID number. The incorrect data feed in the Member Health Record was terminated on November 11, 2024.
Although Blue Shield cannot confirm that the information was viewed, out of an abundance of caution, the company is now notifying members of this incident and providing support in the form of complimentary credit monitoring services for one year to some individuals, depending on the individual situation.
WHAT INFORMATION WAS INVOLVED
It’s believed that member protected health information that may have been accessed included medical visit type, dates of service, provider and pharmacy demographics, any treating facility’s name, and medication information.
There was no demographic information included, which would have specifically identified particular members as the individual who was treated. There was also no access to other types of information, such as Social Security number, driver’s license number, or banking or credit card information.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Blue Shield suggests that affected individuals closely monitor their bank and credit card accounts and routinely obtain their credit report from one or more of the national credit reporting companies. Individuals may get a free copy of their credit report annually in these ways:
- Online at www.annualcreditreport.com
- Call toll-free 1-877-322-8228
- Mail an Annual Credit Report Request Form (forms are located at www.annualcreditreport.com) to Annual Credit Report Request Service, PO Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.
Individuals may also obtain a copy of their credit report from one or more of these three national credit reporting companies:
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Equifax PO Box 740241 Atlanta, GA 30374-0241 1-800-685-1111 equifax.com |
Experian PO Box 2002 Allen, TX 75013 1-888-397-3742 experian.com |
TransUnion PO Box 1000 Chester, PA 19016 800-916-8800 transunion.com |
To place a credit freeze with one or more of the three national credit reporting companies, individuals may contact the company at their website listed below:
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Equifax Security Freeze https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services |
Experian Security Freeze https://www.experian.com/freeze/center.html |
TransUnion Security Freeze https://freeze.transunion.com |
Individuals may learn more about how to take proactive steps to protect themselves against identity theft, contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at the FTC website (www.ftc.gov), by dialing 1-877-ID-Theft (1-877-438-4338), or by writing to the FTC Consumer Response Center, 600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20580.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Should you have questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to call toll free at 1 (866) 566-1941 Monday – Friday, 6:00AM to 6:00PM PST.