Wellpoint Data Breach Exposes PHI and PII Data of 12k Members

Wellpoint Inc., a health insurance provider and affiliate of Elevance Health, disclosed a data breach that affected approximately 12,020 individuals in the United States, of which 12,017 were residents of Washington and 27 of Texas.

The breach was caused by a phishing attack that targeted Independent Clinics of Washington, a business associate of Wellpoint Washington Inc. The phishing incident occurred on June 24, 2025, and resulted in unauthorized access to an email account at ICW.

ICW notified Wellpoint on March 2, 2026, approximately eight months after the unauthorized access first took place. Wellpoint then launched its own review of the compromised data to determine which members were affected. The review ultimately confirmed that personal and health-related member information may have been among the data accessible through the compromised email account.

The types of information potentially exposed varied from person to person but may include contact information such as names, mailing addresses, phone numbers and email addresses, as well as dates of birth, Social Security numbers, driver's license or Washington ID card numbers, health insurance policy or member identification numbers and pharmacy or medical information.

Wellpoint's response to the breach

Wellpoint is offering affected individuals a complimentary one-year membership to Experian IdentityWorks. The service also provides ongoing credit monitoring that actively watches for signs of fraud on the member's Experian credit file.

Affected individuals can enroll by visiting the Experian IdentityWorks enrollment page and entering the activation code provided in their notification letter. No credit card is required to sign up. Those who have questions or need help with identity restoration can call Experian's customer care team at 1-877-890-9332.

Wellpoint also encouraged members to check their health records and explanation of benefits statements for any services or charges they do not recognize. If anything looks unfamiliar, the company asked members to contact the Member Services number on their insurance ID card right away.