VNS Health Health Plans Notice of Data Event Involving Downstream Vendor: Managed Care of North America, Inc. Dental Plan (“MCNA”)

May 26, 2023 – On Friday, May 12, 2023, VNS CHOICE doing business as VNS Health Health Plans (“VNS”) was notified by Healthplex Inc. (“Healthplex”) of a data event involving one of its vendors. Healthplex manages dental claims and appeals for certain VNS members. Healthplex informed VNS that its vendor Managed Care of North America, Inc. Dental Plan (“MCNA”), which provided Healthplex with certain shared service operations and IT support, had recently experienced a cyber security attack. VNS is providing additional information about the event and about MCNA’s response based on the information Healthplex and MCNA have provided to VNS.

What Happened? According to MCNA, on March 6, 2023, MCNA became aware that an unauthorized party had accessed certain MCNA computer systems. On the same day it discovered the unauthorized activity, MCNA took immediate steps to contain the threat and engaged a third-party forensic firm to investigate the incident and assist with remediation efforts. MCNA subsequently discovered that certain systems within the network may have been infected with malicious code. Through its investigation, MCNA determined that an unauthorized third party was able to access certain systems and remove copies of some personal information between February 26, 2023 and March 7, 2023.

What Information was Affected? The types of impacted information vary by individual and could have included: demographic information to identify and contact the individual, such as full name, date of birth, address, telephone and email; Social Security number; driver’s license number or government-issued identification number; health insurance information, such as name of plan/insurer/government payor, member/Medicaid/Medicare ID number, plan and/or group number, and Healthplex ID card information (such as effective date, copay and Rx coverage); information regarding dental/orthodontic care, such as medical record number, patient number, dates of service, provider names, medical/dental status and history, chief complaint or reason for visit, x-rays/photographs, and other assessment, visit, diagnosis, prescription, procedure and treatment information and records; financial information, such as bank account and credit card information; and billing and claims information, such as account statements and/or claim status, appeals, reviews, billing and diagnostic codes, and payor information. For some individuals, one or more of these data elements regarding the member’s parent, guardian, or guarantor may also have been involved. Please note that not all data elements were involved for all individuals.

In accordance with best practices, we encourage you to review your account statements, explanations of benefits, and credit reports carefully for unexpected activity and to report any questionable activity to the associated institutions immediately.

What MCNA Is Doing. Healthplex has informed VNS that, in response to the incident, MCNA took necessary and appropriate steps to prioritize the continued protection of VNS’ and its members’ data. In response to this incident and as part of its ongoing effort to stay ahead of evolving threats, MCNA has further enhanced its security and monitoring practices and further strengthened its systems to minimize the risk of a similar incident occurring in the future.

MCNA will be mailing notices to impacted individuals. In addition, MCNA has posted substitute notice online at: https://response.idx.us/MCNA-Information.

VNS is providing this substitute notice to supplement MCNA’s notices.

What Affected Individuals Can Do. We encourage potentially affected individuals to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud by reviewing their account statements, explanations of benefits, and credit reports carefully for unexpected activity and to report any questionable activity to the associated institutions immediately. Additional information can be found below in the Steps You Can Take to Protect Information.

MCNA will also offer complimentary credit and identity monitoring services to affected individuals through IDX. Impacted individuals will also be provided with a toll-free number to contact as well as a reference guide providing instructions regarding how to monitor accounts, place security freezes, etc.

For More Information. For individuals seeking additional information regarding this event, a toll-free assistance line has been established. Individuals may call 1-888-220-5006 toll-free Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern Time, excluding major U.S. holidays.

VNS sincerely regrets any concern this incident may cause for any VNS member. VNS takes information security very seriously. Note that Healthplex has indicated that it terminated its relationship with MCNA in 2021. Therefore, MCNA is no longer providing services on behalf of VNS. VNS is monitoring this matter and will continue to take all appropriate action with respect to this incident.

Steps You Can Take To Protect Information

Provide Any Updated Personal Information to Your Health Care Provider

Your health care provider’s office may ask to see a photo ID to verify your identity.  Please bring a photo ID with you to every appointment if possible.  Your provider’s office may also ask you to confirm your date of birth, address, telephone, and other pertinent information so that they can make sure that all of your information is up-to-date.  Please be sure and tell your provider’s office when there are any changes to your information.  Carefully reviewing this information with your provider’s office at each visit can help to avoid problems and to address them quickly should there be any discrepancies.

Order Your Free Credit Report

To order your free annual credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com, call toll-free at (877) 322-8228, or complete the Annual Credit Report Request Form on the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s (“FTC”) website at www.ftc.gov and mail it to Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.  The three credit bureaus provide free annual credit reports only through the website, toll-free number or request form.

Upon receiving your credit report, review it carefully.  Look for accounts you did not open.  Look in the “inquiries” section for names of creditors from whom you have not requested credit.  Some companies bill under names other than their store or commercial names; the credit bureau will be able to tell if this is the case.  Look in the “personal information” section for any inaccuracies in information (such as home address and Social Security Number).

If you see anything you do not understand, call the credit bureau at the telephone number on the report.  Errors may be a warning sign of possible identity theft.  You should notify the credit bureaus of any inaccuracies in your report, whether due to error or fraud, as soon as possible so the information can be investigated and, if found to be in error, corrected.  If there are accounts or charges you did not authorize, immediately notify the appropriate credit bureau by telephone and in writing.  Information that cannot be explained should also be reported to your local police or sheriff’s office because it may signal criminal activity.

How to Enroll in IDX Credit and Identity Monitoring Services

As a safeguard, you may enroll, at no cost to you, in an online credit monitoring and identity restoration service provided by IDX. To enroll in this service, please call 888-220-5006 or visit https://response.idx.us/MCNA-Information and follow the instructions for enrollment.

The monitoring included in the membership must be activated to be effective.    Please note that credit monitoring services may not be available for individuals who have not established credit or an address in the United States (or its territories) and a valid Social Security number.  Enrolling in this service will not affect your credit score.  If you need assistance, IDX will be able to assist you.

We encourage you to take advantage of these protections and remain vigilant for incidents of potential fraud and identity theft, including regularly reviewing and monitoring your credit reports and account statements.

Contact the U.S. Federal Trade Commission 

If you detect any unauthorized transactions in any of your financial accounts, promptly notify the appropriate payment card company or financial institution.  If you detect any incidents of identity theft or fraud, promptly report the matter to your local law enforcement authorities, state Attorney General and the FTC.

You can contact the FTC to learn more about how to protect yourself from becoming a victim of identity theft by using the contact information below:

Federal Trade Commission

Consumer Response Center

600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20580

1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338)

www.ftc.gov/idtheft/

Place a Fraud Alert on Your Credit File

To protect yourself from possible identity theft, consider placing a fraud alert on your credit file.  A fraud alert helps protect against the possibility of an identity thief opening new credit accounts in your name.  When a credit grantor checks the credit history of someone applying for credit, the credit grantor gets a notice that the applicant may be the victim of identity theft.  The alert notifies the credit grantor to take steps to verify the identity of the applicant.  You can place a fraud alert on your credit report by calling any one of the toll-free fraud numbers provided below.  You will reach an automated telephone system that allows flagging of your file with a fraud alert at all three credit bureaus.

Security Freezes

You have the right to request a credit freeze from a consumer reporting agency, free of charge, so that no new credit can be opened in your name without the use of a PIN number that is issued to you when you initiate a freeze.  A security freeze is designed to prevent potential credit grantors from accessing your credit report without your consent.  If you place a security freeze, potential creditors and other third parties will not be able to get access to your credit report unless you temporarily lift the freeze.  Therefore, using a security freeze may delay your ability to obtain credit.

Unlike a fraud alert, you must separately place a security freeze on your credit file at each credit bureau. To place a security freeze on your credit report you must contact the credit reporting agency by phone, mail, or secure electronic means and provide proper identification of your identity.  The following information must be included when requesting a security freeze (note that if you are requesting a credit report for your spouse, this information must be provided for him/her as well): (1) full name, with middle initial and any suffixes; (2) Social Security number; (3) date of birth; (4) current address and any previous addresses for the past five years; and (5) any applicable incident report or complaint with a law enforcement agency or the Registry of Motor Vehicles.  The request must also include a copy of a government-issued identification card and a copy of a recent utility bill or bank or insurance statement. It is essential that each copy be legible, display your name and current mailing address, and the date of issue.

Below, please find relevant contact information for the three consumer reporting agencies:

Once you have submitted your request, the credit reporting agency must place the security freeze no later than 1 business day after receiving a request by phone or secure electronic means, and no later than 3 business days after receiving a request by mail.  No later than five business days after placing the security freeze, the credit reporting agency will send you confirmation and information on how you can remove the freeze in the future.

For Residents of New York

You may also obtain information about security breach response and identity theft prevention and protection from the New York Attorney General’s Office:

Office of the Attorney General, The Capitol, Albany, NY 12224-0341, 1-800-771-7755, www.ag.ny.gov.

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