Health Care Service Corp. — the Blue Cross Blue Shield licensee for five states — said an email error caused former beneficiaries to receive claims, The Hill reported Feb. 3.
Several people said on social media Feb. 3 they received claim notifications despite not being covered by HCSC plans for months or years, according to the report.
"Starting on Feb. 2, we sent claims notification emails to some current and former members in error," HCSC said in a statement to The Hill. "Those emails generated high traffic into customer service and our member-facing site and app, which has created longer hold times and sluggish service."
HCSC said it completed a review and did not find evidence that system issues were caused by a spyware attack. The company also said it is not aware of any improper disclosure of personal health information and members do not need to take any action.
HCSC is the parent company of BCBS Illinois, Texas, Montana, New Mexico and Oklahoma.