A printing error Oct. 31 caused as many as 170,000 Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey customers to receive benefit letters baring the names, policy numbers and physician information of other policyholders, reports NJ.com.
Horizon printed and mailed members explanation of benefits letters Oct. 31 through Nov. 2. Horizon's printing vendor Command Marketing Innovations halted printing after consumers reported the error Nov. 2.
"While no social security numbers, financial information, addresses or dates of birth were included on the statements, [the letters] may include member name, member ID number, claim number, date of service, limited description of services, service codes or provider/facility name," Horizon said in a statement obtained by NJ.com.
Horizon spokesperson Kevin McArdle said the company is uncertain how many of the 170,000 letters printed and mailed in the three-day period contained information about other customers.
The insurer said it plans to monitor the accounts of affected policyholders for fraudulent activity, according to the article.