California reaches nearly $1M settlement with Aetna over HIV data breach

Aetna reached a $935,000 settlement with California’s attorney general to resolve allegations it violated state health privacy laws by inadvertently revealing the HIV status of its members in 2017.

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Aetna allegedly revealed the HIV status of some of its members when it mailed letters with information clearly visible through a window on the envelopes about filling prescriptions for HIV medications as well as pre-exposure prophylaxis, a pill that helps prevent a person from contracting HIV. The letters were mailed July 28, 2017, to about 12,000 customers, 1,991 of whom were in California.

In January 2018, Aetna reached a $17 million settlement to resolve a federal class-action lawsuit filed in August 2017 after the alleged breach.

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