Hey, Medical Mutual -- where are those disks?

Retiree to John Curry, November 6, 2008
Subject: Re: Medical Mutual lost disks...are they still lost?

John, I just got off the phone with Med. Mutual, speaking with Debbie. I called them back since no one (big surprise!!) returned my call. I called the same number I called yesterday where the woman was unable to give me any info. Today, when I called that same number, she said that the woman I spoke with yesterday should have been able to tell me if my name was on the list. Of course, I am on the list, and am going to be receiving a letter in the mail with a code, and that letter will tell me what to do next. I told her that I felt I shouldn't be the one having to do anything since I wasn't the one who lost the data. Her response- oh, I'm sure you won't have to do much. Since the letters are going out today,(hmm??) I don't suppose I will receive it until Tuesday or Wednesday. Will let you know as soon as I do and its contents. Might want to tell others to call the number and insist they be told if they are on the list of affected individuals. It was the 1-800-854-8139. an STRS benefits recipient From John Curry, November 5, 2008 Medical Mutual policy holders....have you called the "hotline" to check on the status of your personal information? I can find no other recent news re. this problem. Here is the hotline info: Medical Mutual has a customer protection plan that will kick in if the disks are not found. "We are ready to provide credit monitoring services, free credit reports and a hotline to answer our customers' questions and help with resolving potential fraud," Chaney said. Ohio retirement system members can call the customer service number on the back of their Medical Mutual identification cards for information. That number is 1-800-854-8139. Medical Mutual spokesman Ed Byers said the insurer planned to staff the customer service hotline from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday to handle calls about the information loss. Medical Mutual computer disks on Ohioans missing, probably delayed in mail Company thinks they're in mail Friday, October 24, 2008 Mary Vanac Plain Dealer Reporter Eleven computer disks containing personal information for more than 36,000 Ohio retirees and employees are missing, probably somewhere in the U.S. postal system. Cleveland-based medical insurer Medical Mutual of Ohio reported the missing disks early Thursday afternoon, stressing that none of the information appears to have fallen into the wrong hands. "We believe the disks are somewhere in the postal system, and we are doing everything in our power to help locate the missing disks," Jared Chaney, chief communications officer for Medical Mutual, said in a written statement. Criminals can use personal information to commit financial and identity fraud. Medical Mutual declined to give details about the types of member information contained on the lost disks. Medical Mutual said it was notified by four retiree groups - the School Employees Retirement System of Ohio, State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio, Ohio Police and Fire Pension Fund and Ohio State Highway Patrol Retirement System - that disks routinely mailed between the insurer's Columbus office and the retirement systems, also located in Columbus, didn't arrive this month. Medical Mutual uses information on the disks to reconcile medical insurance claims by retirees in the systems and by active employees of the School Employees Retirement System of Ohio, the insurer said in its statement. Medical Mutual has not provided insurance to retirees of the Ohio Police and Fire Pension Fund since December, said David Graham, spokesman for the fund. The disks contained information about open insurance claims, so their loss probably would have less effect on retired police and firefighters than they could have on retirees in the other systems, Graham said. The U.S. Postal Service is investigating the potential loss, Medical Mutual said. "Our investigation, so far, indicates that insufficient postage was placed on the envelopes [containing the disks]; therefore we believe they are likely to still be safe within the postal system," Chaney said. Medical Mutual has a customer protection plan that will kick in if the disks are not found. "We are ready to provide credit monitoring services, free credit reports and a hotline to answer our customers' questions and help with resolving potential fraud," Chaney said. Ohio retirement system members can call the customer service number on the back of their Medical Mutual identification cards for information. That number is 1-800-854-8139. Medical Mutual spokesman Ed Byers said the insurer planned to staff the customer service hotline from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday to handle calls about the information loss. To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: mvanac@plaind.com, 216-999-5302