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Chinese Hackers Targeted Insurer To Learn About US Healthcare (engadget.com)

hackingbear writes: When Anthem revealed a data breach that exposed the details of more than 80 million people, the incident raised a lot of questions: who would conduct such a hack against a health insurance firm? Investigators finally have some answers... and they're not quite what you'd expect. Reportedly, the culprits were Chinese hackers helping their nation understand how US medical care works. It may be part of a concerted campaign to get ready for 2020, when China plans to offer universal health care. Next, we should outsource politicians from China to fix our healthcare system.

3 of 157 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Let me save you some trouble... by ArmoredDragon · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I'm not particularly rich, but my employer offered health care plan is going to cover my kidney transplant operation at 100% (no deductible payment required, regardless of whether or not I've used it already.)

    I feel bad for Chinese people, because the condition that caused what I have (IgA Nephropathy) is by far more common there, and due to a cultural quirk (the belief that the body needs to be buried whole,) practically nobody actually donates organs. The only option there is to pay a donor under the table, which with or without coverage you're looking at easily six figures worth of expense.

    So at least in China, you really do indeed need to be rich, and you will pay out of pocket. And what's worse, is that your donor barely gets enough money to buy crappy Apple products.

  2. I would like to see some evidence for once by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Every time it is the Chinese, the Russians or even the North Koreans. I would like to see some evidence of this. I have no doubt they, and everyone else for that mater, are involved in these shenanigans, but I highly doubt that there is clear cut evidence, or even just circumstantial evidence.
    As far as I know every competent hacker uses zombies as proxies which leaves nothing to trace, if done properly.

  3. Re:Let me save you some trouble... by orlanz · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Sorry it sucked for you. But I personally know two people that without Obamacare's exchanges, one would probably not be talking today, and the other would have moved to another country for the same medication and medical service but 1/5 the cost. Sorry, but prior to Obamacare, there were a lot of people like them who "just got by" because they weren't chronically sick to be taken in by emergency care, but were slowly wasting away because the healthcare market felt they were unprofitable.

    Obamacare is no where near perfect, but for gods sake, the US couldn't touch anything in Healthcare for over 3 decades! All those presidents and congressmen in that time were useless for the sick and needy of the US.