Even if you're a Blue Cross Blue Shield customer you might be affected by the data breach at Anthem.

BCBSM VP of Communications Andy Hetzel said that while Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Anthem are separate companies, they have an affiliation. It's this connection that allows somebody with BCBSM insurance to go to a hospital if they get sick in a state in Anthem's territory.

"We use each other's networks to comprise a national network," Hetzel said.

Because of this affiliation, there is a chance that data from BCBSM customers has been compromised.

"We believe there's a strong possibility, and we are taking this incident very seriously," Hetzel said.

Some plans include "in network" services and costs if you need medical care in other states. MrLear and I pay dearly for this option, because we spend a lot of time in other states we pony up the additional premium to BCBS. It appears to be these types of arrangements that opened the door for the vulnerability.

Sometimes large Michigan-based employers will insure their employees nationwide through BCBSM, so employees will have a BCBSM card but have their claims reimbursed by Anthem. In other instances, a Michigander with BCBSM insurance may have had a medical issue while traveling in one of the states powered by an Anthem partnership.

...snip...

In 14 states, Anthem is the Blue Cross Blue Shield licensee. Those are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Here in Michigan, "We don't know enough facts right now to communicate whether or not anyone's data was compromised," Hetzel said.

Terrific. The nation's two largest health insurance companies were hacked and tens of millions of records were stolen that include name, date of birth, address and social security number.

Can someone please explain to us what our national security appartus protects us from?