TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - New Jersey’s attorney general says insurance giant Aetna has agreed to pay a $365,000 fine for violating the privacy of thousands of policyholders in the state in two separate mailings.
Attorney General Gurbir Grewal says in a statement that Aetna also agreed to hire a consultant to evaluate the company’s privacy practices.
In 2017, Aetna inadvertently revealed the HIV status of 12,000 patients in several states - including over 600 in New Jersey - by mailing envelopes with a large, clear window that showed information on how to purchase HIV medication.
In September, Aetna sent a mailing to 1,600 people - including more than 180 living in New Jersey - in envelopes that bore the name and logo for a study on a heart condition.
An Aetna spokesman says the company is “implementing measures designed to ensure something like this does not happen again.”
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