Insurance

Insurance industry data breaches expose policyholder Social Security numbers, financial information, and, for health insurers in particular, sensitive medical history and claims data alongside standard identity information. These exposures can lead to identity theft, traditional insurance fraud, and medical identity theft depending on the type of coverage and data involved, with health insurance breaches carrying especially serious privacy consequences given the sensitivity of medical claims history. Insurance companies maintain some of the largest stores of long-term personal data of any industry, since policies and claims histories are often retained for years or decades, meaning a breach can expose information about individuals who haven’t interacted with the company recently. Affected individuals may include current policyholders, former policyholders, dependents covered under a family plan, and sometimes claimants who were never customers at all. This page tracks confirmed data breaches at insurance companies, including what data was exposed, which companies notified regulators, and what affected individuals can do next to protect themselves.