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A data breach is the unauthorized acquisition of personal information that creates a substantial risk of identity theft or fraud. The Massachusetts Data Breach Notification Law mandates that all data breaches involving Massachusetts residents be reported to the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation …Continue Reading UMass Memorial Health Data Breach
Distribution of the approved COVID-19 vaccines is well underway, but fraudsters are gaining access to vaccine-related data almost as fast as the rollout. According to the latest numbers from the Department of Public Health (DPH), more than 4 million people in Massachusetts have received at …Continue Reading FRAUD ALERT: COVID-19 Vaccine Survey Scam
October 25 – 31, 2020 – is National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week (NLPPW). The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and their partners have organized this to heighten awareness …Continue Reading National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers of nine hand sanitizers that contain toxic ingredients. The agency said the products, which are manufactured in Mexico by Eskbiochem SA de CV, contain elevated levels of methanol or wood alcohol. Methanol should not be …Continue Reading Beware of Toxic Hand Sanitizer
While schools and businesses are closed and everyone is practicing social distancing in an attempt to curtail the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), there is one group that is hard at work—scammers. Seeing an opportunity to take advantage in growing numbers, scammers are both resorting …Continue Reading Beware of Coronavirus Scams
Many Americans are looking to 2019 to be a year of self-improvement, with the most common resolution being a greater dedication to health and fitness. If you plan to purchase a gym membership to kick start your new healthy lifestyle, make sure you have all …Continue Reading New Year, New You? What consumers should know about gym memberships before they sign.
The Open Enrollment period for obtaining health insurance coverage from the Massachusetts Health Connector for 2019 is November 1, 2018 through January 23, 2019. Open Enrollment is the only period of time that Massachusetts and federal law permit individual consumers to purchase an insured …Continue Reading Open Enrollment: Enrolling in Coverage for 2019
Legislation passed by Congress and signed into law in 2015 requires the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to begin the process of issuing new Medicare cards that do not display Social Security numbers. The law requires HHS to issue modernized cards …Continue Reading Federal Government Phasing-Out Social Security Numbers on Medicare Cards
Starting October 1, health insurance companies in Massachusetts must provide online cost estimator tools for their members to compare the price and out-of-pocket costs of certain healthcare services, procedures, or hospital admissions.
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