A California-based health insurance company admits it made a mistake that could bring some unpleasantness for an untold number of Iowa physicians. Health Net Federal Services says it accidentally posted the Social Security numbers of more than 100,000 doctors on its website.
The numbers were reportedly public for about two months before the slip was discovered and they were removed. The doctors are in 11 states, including Iowa, but it’s unclear how many in each. The doctors are being notified by the insurance company by mail that they may be at risk of identity theft.
The company blames both human error and software. Health Net, a government contractor, has agreed to pay for credit monitoring for the doctors for a year.