Democratic rep: At least 17 current and former members had personal data exposed in breach

Rep. Joe Morelle (N.Y.), the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee, said Tuesday that at least 17 current and former members of Congress had their personal data exposed in a recent health care data breach.

DC Health Link, which administers health plans to members and their staff, suffered a “significant data breach” earlier this month that impacted hundreds of House lawmakers and staffers, with Morelle saying at least 17 lawmakers had sensitive information exposed.

“I think the number can and may grow,” Morelle, whose committee is investigating the breach, told CBS News. “I don’t know what the probability is. But we’ve only been able to look through some of the data that’s gotten out.”    

Other outlets have reported that 21 members had sensitive data exposed in the breach, with more than 56,000 customers affected overall.

“Members feel increasingly under more scrutiny, and in many cases feel less secure than they probably have and maybe ever have,” Morelle added. “Whenever information gets out, understandably they are concerned about it.”

In the immediate wake of the breach, Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) warned that the “size and scope of impacted House customers could be extraordinary,” noting that thousands of House employees have enrolled in health insurance through the program since 2014.