For Immediate Release
March 16, 2023
Contact: Chantal Fuller, Communications Director
202-355-8431
cfuller@dccouncil.gov

                                                                                             Councilmember Henderson's Statement on the DC Health Link Data Breach

Washington, DC - Councilmember Henderson issued the following statement regarding the data breach the DC Health Link experienced last week:

"Data breaches are a violation of privacy and erode the public’s trust in institutions. Unfortunately, in recent years, we have seen several significant data breaches across various corporations and government agencies, such as Target, the Office of Personnel Management, the US Postal Service, and the Metropolitan Police Department, among others. I was alarmed to learn last week that DC Health Link, the health insurance marketplace for the District of Columbia, was the most recent institution affected by a cybersecurity attack exposing the personal information of thousands of residents and employees in the District.
 
This is an active investigation by the FBI and US Capitol Police. I have been briefed by the DC Health Link officials on the incident and remain in communication regarding the status of the investigation and their outreach to enrollees regarding next steps. All enrollees whose information was breached have been contacted by DC Health Link and have been offered three years of credit monitoring services. If you have not received a message and are concerned, or have questions, you can login to your account via the DC Health Link website or contact the agency directly.
 
The Committee on Health has an oversight hearing scheduled with DC Health Link officials on March 30 at 9:00am. In addition to discussing their proposed budget for FY24, we will be questioning officials on this incident. It is imperative that we have data systems that are fully equipped to protect residents' and employees' personally identifiable information across our government."

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