Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
HHS Looking Into Cybersecurity At UnitedHealth Following Change Hack
The Washington Post: HHS Opens Probe Into UnitedHealth’s Cybersecurity As Hack Fallout Continues
The Biden administration is opening an investigation into UnitedHealth Group following a cyberattack on a subsidiary that has crippled health-care payments and probably exposed millions of patients’ data. The Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday said its probe would focus on identifying the extent of the breach and compliance by UnitedHealth and its subsidiary, Change Healthcare, with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act — widely known as HIPAA — which is intended to protect patients’ private data. (Diamond, 3/13)
Bloomberg: Change Healthcare Cyber Attack Leaves Cancer Clinics Reeling
Doctors across the US are stretching to keep their practices afloat as a debilitating cyberattack on a once little-known company at the center of the health-care system continues to cause havoc. “I can’t believe we’re in this mess,” said Kathy Oubre, chief executive officer of Pontchartrain Cancer Center in southeast Louisiana. “It’s going to take us months to dig out.” (Tozzi, Swetlitz, and Griffin, 3/13)
In other news from the federal government —
KFF Health News: Exclusive: Social Security Chief Vows To Fix ‘Cruel-Hearted’ Overpayment Clawbacks
The Social Security Administration’s new chief is promising to overhaul the agency’s system of clawing back billions of dollars it claims was wrongly sent to beneficiaries, saying it “just doesn’t seem right or fair.” In an interview with KFF Health News, SSA Commissioner Martin O’Malley said that in the coming days he would propose changes to help people avoid crushing debts that have driven some into homelessness and caused financial hardships for the nation’s most vulnerable — the poorest of the poor and people with disabilities or persistent medical conditions or who are at least age 65. (Clasen-Kelly, 3/13)
The Boston Globe: Potential TikTok Ban Passes House, But Some Say Worry It's Too Narrow
As TikTok users flooded Congress with calls opposing a bill that could ban the popular video app in the United States, Representative Jake Auchincloss said his office received one so disturbing that it convinced him the legislation was needed. “We got a voicemail from a young individual threatening suicide if we banned TikTok. That is a case in point . . . of the deleterious impact that these apps are having on our youth,” the Newton Democrat said. ... “I mean, Congress needs to get a grip on this.” (Puzzanghera, 3/13)
Roll Call: In The Spotlight: Michelle Fischbach
Minnesota Republican Michelle Fischbach last week saw the Ways and Means Committee endorse her bill that would block the Biden administration from finalizing a rule to require minimum staffing in nursing homes. The rule, proposed last year, requires patients to receive at least three hours of direct care every day and mandates that facilities have a registered nurse on staff at all times. Fischbach’s bill advanced 26-17, with all Republicans and one Democrat voting in favor, echoing the nursing home industry’s arguments that the rule would force facilities to close because they can’t find workers. (Eskow, 3/13)
