Meridian Health Plan of Illinois Data Breach Exposes Sensitive Member Information
Meridian Health Plan of Illinois, a managed care provider serving Illinois residents under government-sponsored coverage, is under investigation following a data breach that exposed the personal information of over 21,000 individuals. The firm, a subsidiary of Centene Corporation, discovered unauthorized access to member data on August 28, 2021, potentially linked to a third-party vendor. The breach was formally reported to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services nearly five years later, on June 19, 2026.
The compromised data includes names, member ID numbers, contact details, dates of birth, health plan names, and limited eligibility or claims-related information. While the full scope of the incident remains under review, the exposure raises concerns about potential misuse of sensitive health and personal data.
Shamis & Gentile P.A., a class action law firm specializing in data breach cases, is evaluating legal options for affected individuals, who may be eligible for compensation. The breach underscores ongoing risks in healthcare data security, particularly involving third-party vendors.
Source: https://www.claimdepot.com/investigations/meridian-health-data-breach-2026
Centene Corporation cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/centene-corporation
Meridian cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/meridian-health-plan
"id": "CENMER1783968324",
"linkid": "centene-corporation, meridian-health-plan",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "8/2021",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': '21,000',
'industry': 'Healthcare',
'location': 'Illinois, USA',
'name': 'Meridian Health Plan of Illinois',
'type': 'Managed Care Provider'}],
'attack_vector': 'Third-party vendor compromise',
'data_breach': {'number_of_records_exposed': '21,000',
'personally_identifiable_information': 'Yes',
'sensitivity_of_data': 'High (health and personal data)',
'type_of_data_compromised': ['Names',
'Member ID numbers',
'Contact details',
'Dates of birth',
'Health plan names',
'Eligibility or claims-related '
'information']},
'date_detected': '2021-08-28',
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2026-06-19',
'description': 'Meridian Health Plan of Illinois, a managed care provider '
'serving Illinois residents under government-sponsored '
'coverage, is under investigation following a data breach that '
'exposed the personal information of over 21,000 individuals. '
'The breach was potentially linked to a third-party vendor and '
'involved unauthorized access to member data, including names, '
'member ID numbers, contact details, dates of birth, health '
'plan names, and limited eligibility or claims-related '
'information.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'Potential reputational damage due to '
'data exposure',
'data_compromised': 'Personal and health-related information of '
'over 21,000 individuals',
'identity_theft_risk': 'High',
'legal_liabilities': 'Potential class action lawsuit'},
'investigation_status': 'Under investigation',
'references': [{'source': 'Class action law firm (Shamis & Gentile P.A.)'}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'legal_actions': 'Class action lawsuit evaluation',
'regulations_violated': ['HIPAA (potential)'],
'regulatory_notifications': 'Reported to U.S. '
'Department of Health '
'and Human Services'},
'title': 'Meridian Health Plan of Illinois Data Breach Exposes Sensitive '
'Member Information',
'type': 'Data Breach'}