WASHINGTON—Today, in the wake of the announcement by Anthem Inc. that the personal information of as many as 80 million of their customers and employees has been compromised in a sophisticated cyber-attack, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) is calling on Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee to hold a hearing on the security breach and identify best practices to protect constituents’ health care information from similar threats.

Anthem, the nation’s second largest health insurance company and largest insurer in Connecticut, reported earlier today that hackers gained access to the information – including names, birthdays, medical IDs, Social Security numbers, street addresses, email addresses, employment information, and income data – of tens of millions of people. At this time, it does not appear that medical information was included in the breach but it is a reminder of the importance of personal health information and the incredibly high protection standard that needs to be placed on this data.

“First and foremost, I’d like to thank Anthem for their rapid response and for making every effort to protect their customers and employees from further vulnerability. I am relieved that the medical information of these individuals has not yet been compromised, but it is an important reminder that we must do everything we can to prevent data breaches in the health care industry from recurring in the future. The Senate HELP Committee has a duty to ensure that the personal health information of all Americans remains secure. I’m calling on Chairman Alexander to hold a hearing on this issue so we have all the facts and a better understanding of how the industry, government officials, and others can work together to prevent these threats to public health, personal data, and businesses. People in Connecticut need peace of mind that their health care information is safe and secure, and a hearing will be a good first step.”