Massachusetts
Massachusetts, New Hampshire warn victims after Change Healthcare cyberattack leaks ‘sensitive health and personal data’
![Massachusetts, New Hampshire warn victims after Change Healthcare cyberattack leaks ‘sensitive health and personal data’ Massachusetts, New Hampshire warn victims after Change Healthcare cyberattack leaks ‘sensitive health and personal data’](https://www.bostonherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24073727260238.jpg?w=1024&h=683)
Massachusetts and New Hampshire officials are taking steps to notify and provide resources to victims who were left in the dark after an unprecedented Change Healthcare cyberattack may have left their personal and health information exposed on the dark web last February.
Change Healthcare, owned by the nation’s largest insurer UnitedHealth Group, revealed that a cyberattack in February interrupted thousands of doctor’s offices, hospitals and pharmacies and may impact up to one-third of all Americans following the attack. The unprecedent breach reportedly led to victims’ personal and health information being leaked to the dark web, where it can be bought and used by cybercriminals.
Change Healthcare has yet to provide any letters or emails to consumers impacted, the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office said Tuesday, going against precedent for this kind of cyberattack.
“Despite the magnitude of this breach, the delay in notifying affected individuals is unacceptable,” said New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella. “Alongside my counterparts from across the country, I have called upon UnitedHealth Group to take swift and meaningful action to protect those impacted and prevent future breaches.”
Massachusetts and New Hampshire’s AGs, along with other states, are notifying impacted individuals directly and directing victims to resources — including an important offer from Change Healthcare.
All residents who believe they may have been impacted by the breach are eligible for free credit monitoring and identity theft protection for two years through Change Healthcare. Information on the breach and resources, a dedicated call line and links to set up the free credit monitoring and identity theft protection are available on the UnitedHealth Group’s Change Healthcare consumer support webpage.
The company has not fully released how many consumers were effected, and the website and call line are not able to let individuals know if their data was impacted.
Warning signs that someone has stolen your medical information include, the AGs listed: receiving bills from doctors for services you didn’t receive; errors in Explanation of Benefits statement; debt collector calls or debt collection notices about medical debt you do not owe; inaccurate notices from your health insurance company about reaching your benefit limit; being denied insurance because of nonexistent pre-existing conditions.
Formella noted it is “crucial that individuals remain vigilant and monitor any suspicious activity related to their medical or financial information.”
Residents who believe they may have been impacted may also consider freezing their credit, the AGs said.
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Massachusetts
Mass. State Lottery: $100K lottery prize won off of $2 scratch ticket
![Mass. State Lottery: 0K lottery prize won off of scratch ticket Mass. State Lottery: 0K lottery prize won off of scratch ticket](https://www.masslive.com/resizer/v2/SGTUDYDN2NG4DGISN6EPNCXETY.jpg?auth=b13f53074b22bcf6575b3b7b6aee8b8cccfd509c3e5705470b54e6f66edea0fe&width=1280&quality=90)
A $100,000 lottery prize was won off of a $2 scratch ticket sold in Massachusetts.
The prize was claimed on Friday and it was from the game “$100,000 Snow Much Money.” The ticket was sold at Ronnie Shone General in Scituate.
The odds of winning the grand prize are one in 2,688,000. In total, 645,120 “$100,000 Snow Much Money” tickets have been distributed throughout the state with 115,615 still remaining, according to Massachusetts State Lottery.
Overall, there were 687 prizes worth $600 or more that were won or claimed in Massachusetts across all lottery games on Friday, including 19 in Springfield, 25 in Worcester and 42 in Boston.
So far, the largest lottery prize won in Massachusetts this year was worth $15 million. The prize was from the lottery’s “300X” scratch ticket game and was claimed on June 13.
Massachusetts
Communities worried about care after Steward closes 2 Massachusetts hospitals
![Communities worried about care after Steward closes 2 Massachusetts hospitals Communities worried about care after Steward closes 2 Massachusetts hospitals](https://assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2024/07/27/986b45ce-c8f4-4a40-b5ff-96ee9c9e9b9e/thumbnail/1200x630/a576974798d34639d1af5fcf57f39311/122eb632239d16222198476623698330.jpg?v=5501038cbc281520ff9fdc308faab7dc)
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Massachusetts
Massachusetts State House working last minute to pass bills ahead of Wednesday deadline
![Massachusetts State House working last minute to pass bills ahead of Wednesday deadline Massachusetts State House working last minute to pass bills ahead of Wednesday deadline](https://assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2024/04/19/760bef22-4ffd-46f3-b59d-82cce834c670/thumbnail/1200x630/d853649a0c4b7f92c0bdde4948efc0ef/statehouse.jpg?v=5501038cbc281520ff9fdc308faab7dc)
BOSTON – The Massachusetts State House is typically quiet on Fridays but not this week, as state lawmakers work to push major pieces of legislation to the governor’s desk, including a possible return of Happy Hour.
“This place is going to be buzzing”
“I think for the next five days, this place is going to be buzzing,” State Sen. Barry Finegold told WBZ-TV from his Statehouse office. Buzzing with fellow legislators, lobbyists and stressed-out staffers racing to beat the Wednesday deadline. “We’re very hopeful that it’s going to get done.”
Republican State Rep. Marc Lombardo is frustrated by the procrastination, pointing to the House, Senate and corner office being dominated by Democrats. “It’s a tornado of activity that really doesn’t have to wait until the last week of July,” he said.
The House and Senate have until Wednesday to hammer out their differences on key bills. Bills that don’t get voted out of conference committee essentially “die” on Beacon Hill.
Finegold heads the Joint Economic Development Committee, working on a multi-billion-dollar package that could pave the way for a new soccer stadium in Everett for the New England Revolution.
Will Happy Hour come back to Massachusetts?
How about bringing Happy Hour back to Massachusetts?
“We’re hopeful to get that passed as well,” Finegold explained. “We do have a lot of younger people in our city and throughout Massachusetts and we want to do things that we think they’ll like.”
While Rep. Lombardo can see how this could help the economy, he’s not a fan of the last-minute rush to the finish line.
He said lawmakers are “expected to read bills very quickly as they come out of conference committee…hundreds of pages of documents and yet forced to get a vote because we’ve waited to the last moment to put things on the floor.”
Complex legislation, packed with all sorts of line items.
The CEO of Boston Pads is watching the housing bill closely as lawmakers debate whether or not to ban broker’s fees for renters.
“These agents spend a lot of timing calling all day. It’s not uncommon for them to show an apartment at eight or even nine o’clock at night,” said Demetrios Salpoglou.
It’s a vote that he said could have crippling impacts on the real estate industry in Massachusetts.
This is just a glimpse of the mad rush and closed-door negotiations at the State House.
“This is what it takes,” Finegold said. “We have to get things done.”
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