Horizon BCBS of NJ may have breached privacy of 170,000 policyholders

Some benefit letters mailed to as many as 170,000 Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey customers over a recent three-day period included the names, policy numbers and the physician information of other policy holders — a privacy breach created by a printing error, the insurance company announced Monday.

Horizon pledged to monitor the accounts of affected policy holders for fraudulent activity, according to a statement from the insurance company’s printing vendor that made the error, Command Marketing Innovations of Garfield.

Command Marketing referred questions to Horizon.

“While no social security numbers, financial information, addresses or dates of birth were included on the statements, (the letters) may include member name, member ID number, claim number, date of service, limited description of services, service codes or provider/facility name,” according to the announcement.

Read the full story at NJ.com: Horizon says privacy breach could affect up to 170K N.J. customers | NJ.com