WellPoint has agreed to pay the government $1.7 million to settle potential violations of HIPAA, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said Thursday.

An HHS investigation found that the health insurance giant “impermissibly disclosed” electronic protected health information of 612,402 individuals between Oct. 23, 2009 and March 7, 2010. That information included names, dates of birth, addresses, Social Security numbers, telephone numbers and health information.

The health agency said that WellPoint may have violated HIPAA — the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 — after the Indianapolis-based insurer reported the breach to HHS.

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