Data breaches keep soaring. What will it take to stem the tide?

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2024 was another record year for health data breaches, according to a STAT analysis of records from the federal health department’s Office for Civil Rights. As many as 172 million people may have been impacted, and 532 of the 656 breaches reported resulted from hacks and ransomware attacks. 

The reports include the cyberattack on Change Healthcare, the UnitedHealth Group company that processes claims and prescriptions for a large chunk of providers and insurers. That breach is emblematic of a key problem: With more consolidation, the potential impact of a single breach becomes larger.

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