Oops. County admin accidentally emails out private employee health info
Published 9:18 am Monday, April 29, 2019
A county administrator in Mississippi is apologizing after he shared health insurance records that had personal information of more than 100 employees.
The Meridian Star reports the Tuesday email to Lauderdale County employees from County Administrator Chris Lafferty included names, Social Security numbers and phone numbers.
Lafferty emailed employees Thursday to apologize and say the bond he’s required to carry to insure against misconduct will pay for any costs related to identity theft.
The first email was meant to show the county government’s health insurance costs are rising. It urges employees to avoid emergency room use when possible and use telemedicine when appropriate.
The document showed how much the county spends on various costs such as infectious diseases, mental disorders and pregnancy, without listing names next to medical conditions.