Latest cybersecurity reporting from selected sources.

Incident Comes Months After NYS Fined Liberty Mutual $2M in Other HacksInsurance carrier Liberty Mutual is facing proposed class action litigation filed by policyholders who allege their sensitive information was compromised in an April data theft claimed by cybercrime gang Everest Group. The incident is the company's latest data security related troubles.

Lawsuit Alleges Insurer Used AI Tool in Denying Patients Medically Necessary CareA proposed class action lawsuit against UnitedHealth Group that claims the company's insurance unit UnitedHealthCare used of artificial intelligence tools to deny Medicare Advantage claims for medically necessary care has the green light to proceed from a federal judge

Provision Emphasizes Existing Medicare Regs for Equitable Access to Health ServicesThe Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has issued proposed "guardrails" to help ensure that the use of artificial intelligence for Medicare Advantage insurance plans does not result in inequitable access to healthcare-related services. The proposed rule will go into effect in 2026.

Provision Emphasizes Existing Medicare Regs for Equitable Access to Health ServicesThe Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has issued proposed "guard rails" to help ensure that the use of artificial intelligence for Medicare Advantage insurance plans does not result in inequitable access to healthcare-related services. The proposed rule will go into effect in 2026.

Merck & Co.'s proposed settlement with insurers over a $1.4 billion claim related to the NotPetya attack will change the language the insurance industry uses to exclude acts of war in its policies, and organizations need to consider how those changes affect risk, said attorney Peter Halprin.

A Settlement Has Been Reached. So, How Might This Affect Similar Cases?A proposed settlement has been reached between Merck & Co. and several insurers that were appealing a 2023 court decision saying the insurance companies could not invoke "hostile warlike action" exclusions in refusing to pay drugmakers' claims filed after the 2017 NotPetya cyberattack.

Plaintiffs Say UnitedHealthcare Algorithm Rejects Coverage for Elderly PatientsThe estates of two deceased UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage policyholders allege in a proposed federal class action lawsuit filed this week that the insurance giant is using an AI tool to illegally deny necessary coverage for post-acute care, such as skilled nursing, to elderly plan members.