Extract from Dr. Sergey Demyanov’s article “EXPOSED: How One Missing Control Put Over 100 Million Americans’ Health Data at Risk”
The Breach That Disrupted an Industry
In January 2025 Change Healthcare confirmed a devastating reality. Over 100 million Americans had their most sensitive health and financial information stolen in a single data breach. This unprecedented incident is believed to be the largest healthcare data breach in United States history. Social Security numbers, medical records, financial data and personal information were exposed, impacting more than one third of the population.
The consequences extended beyond data privacy. Change Healthcare took core systems offline to contain the threat which halted healthcare payments nationwide. Medical providers could not process claims or receive reimbursements for weeks. The operational breakdown disrupted the healthcare system from top to bottom.
But this visible disruption was only the beginning.
