Please don't use the free identity theft offer. Think about it, the first they they ask you for is your personally identifying information! Kinda like pushing the gas pedal after you've driven over the cliff.
Freeze your own credit on all three credit agencies, and notify them in writing that you were part of the Anthem cyber attack, and lock your report for access.
Also, notify your bank, and CC companies in writing that you were the victim of a cyber crime, and keep copies of all your letters.
Most of the credit monitoring services that I've been offered as the result of a data breach (such as ProtectMyID) are owned or operated by, or closely affiliated with, a credit reporting company who already has my PII. Aside from that, enough other organizations have my PII by now that the credit monitoring company is probably the least of my concern.
Freezing your credit can prevent new lines of credit from being opened, but will not necessarily prevent damage from identity theft.
The point of credit or ID theft monitoring is to detect potential malicious activity as or shortly after it occurs, which would likely be well before you would detect it otherwise, thereby providing you with an opportunity to mitigate the damage.
I have the opportunity in my career to experience an intimate view of how many large global companies, including some well-known retailers, approach the issue of data security at the executive management level. In my opinion, most of them are concerned about the PR aspect more than anything else. Almost none of them have comprehensive data retention policies, except where required by law, and therefore typically default to retaining data in perpetuity, exposing data collected in the distant past to future risks.
Unfortunately, for health-related services, you have no choice but to give up your PII, and it's being sent to more places and within view of more people than ever before, thanks in large part to the expanding role of government in the health care market. It's a risk that's becoming more difficult for individuals to control.
JKG
