Americans whose phones kept buzzing with Kaiser marketing texts even after replying “stop” now have a new option. They can request up to seventy five dollars per message from a ten point five million dollar class action settlement that accuses Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of ignoring opt out requests and breaking federal and Florida telemarketing laws.
At the same time, patients caught up in a separate data breach at Rocky Mountain Gastroenterology Associates can seek up to one thousand dollars for documented losses after a cyberattack exposed sensitive medical information in twenty twenty four. Two very different cases, one common thread. Our digital health system is overflowing with messages and data, and that has consequences for privacy, mental well being and even the climate.
Kaiser text message settlement and claim deadline
Under the Kaiser settlement, a nationwide group of consumers may qualify if they received more than one text from Kaiser between January twenty first twenty twenty one and August twentieth twenty twenty five after opting out by texting “stop” or using a similar instruction.A separate Florida class covers people who kept getting texts at least fifteen days after they opted out. Kaiser denies wrongdoing but agreed to fund a settlement pool rather than keep fighting in court.
According to the official notice, eligible class members who file a valid claim “will receive up to seventy five dollars per qualifying text message,” although the exact payout will depend on how many people apply. No proof like screenshots or phone bills is required, but the claim form must be submitted by February twelfth twenty twenty six.
Rocky Mountain Gastroenterology data breach settlement
The Rocky Mountain Gastroenterology case looks different on paper yet tells a similar story. In September twenty twenty four, an unauthorized party accessed the group’s systems and potentially viewed data such as names, Social Security numbers, medical record details and insurance information for more than three hundred sixty thousand patients.
The practice, based in Colorado, denies that it was negligent, but it has agreed to offer up to one thousand dollars to people who can show out of pocket losses tied to identity theft, fraud, extra credit monitoring or similar costs.
Every affected patient can also enroll in two years of free credit and medical identity monitoring. To benefit, people who received a breach notice must file a documented claim by February second twenty twenty six.
What class action settlements mean for consumers
Both cases are handled as class actions. Instead of millions of people filing separate lawsuits, a small group sues on behalf of everyone with similar complaints and negotiates one global deal. If the court signs off, those who stay in the class can claim money or monitoring and in exchange usually give up the right to sue the company again over the same incident.
It is a tool that has been used against polluters, makers of unsafe products and companies accused of greenwashing, not only in privacy and telemarketing disputes.
Digital health data and the climate footprint of tech
So what does any of this have to do with ecology or climate. More than it might seem when your phone pings during dinner. Digital services feel invisible, but they are powered by energy hungry infrastructure. Studies estimate that the wider digital sector accounts for roughlytwo to three percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, with nearly half of that linked to networks and data centers that store and transmit our messages, videos and health records.
A single text message has a tiny carbon footprint, on the order of a fraction of a gram of carbon dioxide, far less than a streaming video or a large photo attachment. On its own, one unwanted reminder is no big deal. Yet marketing systems in health care and other sectors can fire off millions of automated messages, all riding on the same antennas, servers and cooling systems that are already straining power grids in many regions. As researchers on digital waste point out, treating online communication as harmless can hide very real energy use behind each notification bubble.
Health care emissions and why cybersecurity matters
Health care adds another layer. Globally, hospitals, clinics, supply chains and medical technology together are responsible for about four to five percent of greenhouse gas emissions, similar to or higher than aviation in some estimates. When health systems digitize everything, from appointment reminders to electronic records, they can reduce paper and travel but also deepen their reliance on data centers that still often run on fossil fueled grids.
Cybersecurity failures like the Rocky Mountain breach do not just put patients at risk of fraud, they can also trigger huge recovery efforts, extra storage, audits and system rebuilds, all of which carry their own environmental footprint.
What people can do right now
For everyday people, the immediate concern is money and peace of mind. No one enjoys chasing fraudulent charges or feeling nagged by a stream of texts that never stop, especially when the electric bill is already climbing and screen time feels out of control. Still, these settlements offer a small chance to clean up more than just a bank balance. Filing a valid claim is one step. Taking a hard look at which health apps, newsletters and text alerts you really need is another.
In practical terms, that can mean replying “stop” to marketing texts you no longer want, turning off nonessential app notifications and regularly deleting old emails and files that you do not need to keep. Encouraging health providers to adopt strong privacy standards, shorter data retention periods and greener technology can push the system toward both safer and lower carbon digital care. For the most part, the same choices that protect patient data also reduce unnecessary data traffic.
At the end of the day, these two legal cases are about consent and responsibility. Patients should be able to say no to marketing and have that choice respected. They should also be able to trust that their most intimate health details are guarded carefully, not left vulnerable in outdated systems. When health care treats digital communication and data as precious rather than disposable, it supports not only human rights and mental well being but a healthier planet too.
The official settlement notice was published on Kaiser TCPA and FTSA Settlement Website.
