Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Health Insurance Data Breach Hits Congress And Its Families, Staff
Axios: Health Data Breach Hits Members Of Congress
Hundreds of members of Congress and their staffs this week were hit by a data breach of their health records in the District of Columbia's health insurance marketplace. Both the FBI and U.S. Capitol Police are investigating the breach of DC Health Link, the marketplace set up under the Affordable Care Act — an act that may have impacted hundreds of lawmakers and staff, NBC News reports. (Reed and Solender, 3/8)
AP: Congress Members Warned Of Significant Health Data Breach
A broker on an online crime forum claimed to have records on 170,000 DC Health Link customers and was offering them for sale for an unspecified amount. The broker claimed they were stolen Monday. Reached by The Associated Press on an encrypted chat site, the broker did no say whether the data had been purchased and said they could not provide additional data to back the claim. They said they were acting on behalf of the seller, who they identified as “thekilob.” (3/9)
In related news —
Modern Healthcare: Tracking Healthcare Data Breaches
2022 has 717 reported breaches so far, just surpassing 2021's total of 715. (Broderick, 3/8)
In other news from Capitol Hill —
The Washington Post: Sen. Mitch McConnell Hospitalized After Fall At Hotel
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has been hospitalized following a fall at a hotel in Washington, his spokesperson said late Wednesday. The 81-year-old senator was attending a private dinner at a local hotel when he tripped, spokesman David Popp said in a statement. “He has been admitted to the hospital where he is receiving treatment,” he added, without providing any further details on his condition. (Pannett, 3/9)
CIDRAP: Groups Call On Congress To Support PASTEUR Act
More than 230 organizations representing healthcare providers, public health professionals, scientists, and the pharmaceutical and diagnostics industries have sent a letter to Congress urging support for the PASTEUR (Pioneering Antimicrobial Subscriptions to End Upsurging Resistance) Act. The legislation, which was originally introduced in 2020 and then reintroduced in 2021, would create a subscription-style payment model that would allow the federal government to pay up-front for access to newly approved antibiotics that target drug-resistant infections and meet critical, unmet health needs. (Dall, 3/8)
