Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson has announced Premera Blue Cross, the Pacific Northwest's leading health insurance provider, will pay $10 million across 30 states for insufficient data protection and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act violations that led to a 2014 data breach that affected 10.4 million consumers nationwide. Washington will claim $5.4 million of Premera's payout, while the remaining $4.6 million will be distributed to remaining states. Ferguson started the legal action before fellow state attorneys generals signed on. “Premera had an obligation to safeguard the privacy of millions of Washingtonians — and failed,” Ferguson said. “As a result, millions had their sensitive information exposed. Premera repeatedly ignored both its own employees and cybersecurity experts who warned millions of consumers' sensitive health information was at risk.”
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