PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Some Rhode Island residents will finally be able to access their health benefits online, about a month and a half after the RIBridges system first went down. Gov. Dan McKee announced Thursday that the state would be sending emails to thousands impacted customers. The email will provide access to the HealthyRhode website, allowing customers to manage various health benefits, including Medicaid and SNAP benefits. Residents will be chosen at random and will have to change their passwords when they log in. The email will come from the address [email protected]. Customers who do not receive an e-mail should not attempt to log in as they will be denied access, and the governor emphasized that the emails will not ask residents to click any links or open any attachments. Chief Digital Officer Brian Tardiff said a third party vendor had confirmed the system is secure. Officials said they will gradually increase site capacity over the coming weeks until the system is fully operational. At last check, about 657,000 Rhode Islanders have been impacted by the breach, and the state has sent letters to those whose information was compromised. When asked if ransom was paid to the hackers, officials said they could not comment until the investigation was complete. Categories: News, Rhode Island