Personal Data of Georgia Medicaid, PeachCare Recipients Lost

The Georgia Department of Community Health confirmed Tuesday that a CD containing the personal data of Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids members was lost. According to multiple news reports, 2.9 million former and current recipients' data was lost. The data included personal, identifying information including addresses, birthdates, dates of eligibility, full names, Medicaid or PeachCare for Kids member identification numbers and Social Security Numbers.

This was also confirmed by Affiliated Computer Services (ACS), the company responsible for the files in question. "ACS has no indication that the CD that contained personal information is in the hands of an unauthorized party, or that any of the information on the CD has been misused. ACS takes the protection of personal information very seriously," ACS said in a statement. "Since the CD was lost in transit, we continue to work with the carrier to determine what happened and to locate the CD."

The Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) has taken the following actions:

• DCH is requiring ACS to provide all affected members with written notification.
• DCH has requested ACS to provide all affected members assistance with information on credit watch monitoring.
• DCH has requested ACS to provide all affected members with an application to receive a free credit report.
• DCH notified the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights, Governor's Office of Consumer Affairs and Office of the Attorney General of Georgia.

The DCH is suggesting that those with concerns about their personal information contact the department, or visit the Federal Trade Commission's Web site to learn how to protect against ID theft.