AG Nessel reissues consumer alert following Munson Healthcare data breach

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is reminding residents to stay alert data breaches after a cyber incident in 2025 exposed patient information at Munson Healthcare.

The breach happened when an unauthorized person gained access through Cerner, a third-party company that manages electronic health records.

Personal information was compromised, including patient names, Social Security numbers and details from medical records. Those records may contain medical record numbers, doctors’ names, diagnoses, medications, test results, images and information care and treatment.

The Department of Attorney General does not yet know how many Michigan residents were affected. Munson Healthcare is notifying impacted patients by mail.

Nessel is pushing for changes to state law that would require companies to immediately report data breaches to her office. She said faster notification would allow the state to warn the public sooner.

“Because Michigan law does not currently require companies to immediately notify my office when a data breach occurs, we often don’t know who was impacted or when until well after a concerning cyber incident,” Nessel said. “These delays put consumers at higher risk of identity theft, and our state needs stronger laws to better protect Michiganders from bad actors. I urge anyone who receives a notice that their personal information may have been compromised to consider taking advantage of the free credit monitoring resources being offered.”

Nessel said consumers can take steps to protect themselves after a data breach, including watching for phishing emails, changing or strengthening passwords, deleting unnecessary files, using multifactor authentication and regularly reviewing their credit reports.

Consumers can get free weekly credit reports from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion through the Annual Credit Report website .

She also encourages people to consider placing a freeze on their credit, especially when Social Security numbers are involved.

Nessel also wants consumers to understand the importance of protecting medical information.

People affected by a data breach should watch for unexpected medical bills, errors in insurance explanation of benefits statements, calls from debt collectors bills they do not owe, unfamiliar medical debt on their credit reports, notices that insurance benefits have been used up, or denial of coverage for conditions they do not have.

To help residents, Nessel has launched the Michigan Identity Theft Support System , which assists people working to restore their identities after theft.

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