Computer disk with personal info on millions lost

In what will seem a worrying turn of events to many, a computer disk containing personal information on nearly 3 million state and federal health insurance clients has gone astray.

According to state officials in Atlanta at the Department of Community Health, which administers the federal Medicaid and PeachCare, a state health insurance program for children in Georgia, the disk was lost by Affiliated Computer Services (ACS).

The lost data includes social security numbers, birth dates and addresses for 2.9 million Georgia residents.

The Department of Community Health says the missing CD does not contain any medical information, which affords some relief, and the loss of the data was reported to the state by ACS.

ACS, a Dallas-based firm, handles claims for the state health programs and they have been asked to provide written notification to all affected members who were in the programs over a four-year period until June 2006.

The Department of Community Health has also notified federal officials and the governor's office.