[20150224]IN10235_Anthem数据泄露：HIPAA下的健康信息有多安全？.pdf

CRS InsightsAnthem Data Breach: How Safe Is Health Information Under HIPAA?C. Stephen Redhead, Specialist in Health Policy (credheadcrs.loc.gov, 7-2261)February 24, 2015 (IN10235)The recent data breach at Anthem Inc.the nations second-largest health insurer, with more than 37million enrollees in its health plansraises new concerns about the vulnerability of electronic healthinformation. Security experts question whether the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act(HIPAA) privacy and security standards are sufficiently protective of sensitive patient information.On February 4, Anthem announced that it had been the subject of a very sophisticated externalcyberattack. After several prior attempts, the hackers succeeded in accessing a company databasecontaining as many as 80 million records of current and former Anthem customers as well asemployees. A company website indicates that the hackers accessed names, dates of birth, member IDsand Social Security numbers, home and email addresses, and employment information. They do notappear to have gained access to any credit card or medical information. Even though the compromiseddata may not include any clinical information, it i