Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield said Tuesday that it will join all other Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies nationwide in making identity theft protection services available to customers by Jan. 1, 2016. The announcement comes months after a massive data breach of Anthem Inc. in February that compromised the data security of millions of Blue Cross customers as well as approximately 90,000 Wellmark members. The new offering will be made available on an opt-in basis to all eligible members for as long as they have a Blue Cross and Blue Shield health insurance policy in effect, Wellmark said in a release. The services will be administered by leading identity protection companies and will include credit monitoring, fraud detection and fraud resolution support. Wellmark spokeswoman Traci McBee said basic services will be offered at no cost to members, with the option for members to purchase additional services. Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies are in the process of finalizing plans to offer these services and will be contacting customers directly with instructions on how they can take advantage of the offering in the coming months. Click here to learn more.