Last month, Aetna sent letters to patients about their HIV medications. The information was sent in letters that made it easy to see phrase "filling prescriptions for HIV." Patients have claimed it breached their privacy as their confidential status was revealed to family, friends and neighbors.
A lawsuit was filed yesterday in Pennsylvania over the matter. It says more than 12,000 people were affected. Letters not only went out to HIV positive patients, but also non HIV positive patients who were on the drug Truvada. The Legal Action Center and AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania are representing tee main plaintiff who filed under a pseudonym. He is not HIV positive but is taking Truvada.
Aetna has not commented on the lawsuit yet, but did say they planned to review processes "to ensure something like this never happens again."
This is not the first time Aetna has been sued over HIV and privacy issues. In 2014 and 2015 it settled lawsuits relating to the fact that it required patients to get HIV medications through the mail.
H/T: Health Care Dive