FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Karma Lombard, Office Manager
Maine’s Bureau of Insurance urges Maine consumers to be aware of potential scams related to the Change Healthcare cyberattack
Maine Superintendent of Insurance Robert Carey urges consumers to be on the lookout for scams that seek to capitalize on the uncertainty caused by the recent Change Healthcare cyberattack.
Change Healthcare experienced a cyberattack on February 21, 2024. Change Healthcare provides a range of services for issuers of healthcare plans, including pharmacy benefits management, acting as a clearinghouse for claims data, acting as a third-party administrator for submission of claims and enrollment data, and completing medical records review, among others. Change Healthcare supports tens of thousands of physicians, dentists, pharmacies, and hospitals, handling 50 percent of all medical claims in the United States. These services experienced a severe disruption until service was restored. This includes the pharmacy claims system for MaineCare, Maine’s Medicaid program, which was restored last week. The disruption may lead to difficulties beyond the point of restored service.
Consumers
Superintendent Carey urges consumers to be on the lookout for scams that seek to capitalize on the uncertainty caused by the Change Healthcare cyberattack. National news has reported scammers contacting consumers purporting to be representatives of hospitals, telling them that they are entitled to a refund because of the cyberattack if they provide a credit card number. Consumers who receive unsolicited phone calls purporting to be from either their health insurer or a healthcare provider relating to the Change Healthcare cyberattack should hang up. Neither health insurers nor healthcare providers will ask for a credit card number over the phone to initiate a refund of payment. Change Healthcare has not indicated that any personal data of MaineCare members was improperly accessed as part of the network disruption.
Providers
Affected providers with payment distribution interruptions may be eligible for financial assistance from Optum, the parent organization of Change Healthcare. Information about Change Healthcare’s Temporary Funding Assistance Program is available at: https://www.optum.com/en/business/providers/healthsystems/payments-lending-solutions/optum-pay/temporary-funding-assistance.html
The Bureau of Insurance also issued a Bulletin last week, which discusses expectations for insurers in how they address disruptions caused by the cyberattack, including making reasonable accommodations for providers and consumers who may have been impacted by the disruption. Bulletin 470, issued by the Bureau on March 26th, can be accessed here for more information https://www.maine.gov/pfr/insurance/legal/bulletins .