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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation (WPS) are notifying people whose protected health information or other personally identifiable information (PII) may have been compromised in connection with Medicare administrative services provided by WPS. WPS is a CMS contractor that handles Medicare Part A/B claims and related services for CMS.
CMS and WPS are notifying 946,801 people on Medicare via US Mail whose personally identifiable PII may have been exposed. The letter informs beneficiaries of the breach and explains actions being taken in response.
CMS and WPS are not aware of any reports of identity fraud or improper use of PII as a direct result of this incident. However, they are taking this opportunity to notify beneficiaries so that, if they wish to do so, they can take advantage of the information and resources referenced in the notice.
Those who receive a notice from CMS and WPS are advised to enroll in Experian Identity Protection Monitoring Services and obtain a free credit report.
The Washington state Senior Medicare Patrol strongly encourages beneficiaries to review all Medicare and health insurance statements in the event their Medicare ID is fraudulently used. Beneficiaries can continue using current their Medicare card unless fraud is detected, at which point the beneficiary can request a new card. When receiving a new Medicare card, beneficiaries should:
- Follow the instructions in the letter that comes with your new card.
- Destroy your old Medicare card.
- Inform your providers that you have a new Medicare card.
For questions about this incident, beneficiaries can call the Experian dedicated and confidential toll-free response line at 833-931-5700. This response line is staffed with professionals familiar with this incident who can share what to do to help protect against misuse of information. The response line is available Monday through Friday from 8 am – 8 pm Central Time (excluding major U.S. holidays). Beneficiaries should be prepared to provide engagement number: B130492.
For any general Medicare questions or concerns, beneficiaries can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).
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