[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 39 (Tuesday, March 5, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1095-S1096]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     CHANGE HEALTHCARE CYBER ATTACK

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, today I come to the floor with good news. 
HHS and CMS has heeded my call from last Friday to provide hospitals 
and providers immediate relief in the aftermath of the devastating 
cyber attack asking for ransom. The announcement by CMS today will get 
cash flowing to providers while our healthcare system works to get 
fully back online after this attack.
  It is an extremely encouraging first step, but the systems of many of 
the providers are complicated and they are varied, so I urge CMS to be 
persistent and patient as they work to get all the providers on board; 
and I will work with CMS to make sure that happens.
  As you know, across New York and across America, tens of thousands of 
hospitals, pharmacies, doctors' offices, and other healthcare providers 
are still reeling from one of the worst cyber attacks ever launched on 
our healthcare system.
  The February 21 attack against Change Healthcare, which is 
responsible for processing billions of insurance and payment claims 
annually for healthcare providers, has thrown providers, including 
hospitals and pharmacies, into a crisis. For nearly 2 weeks, they have 
been unable to submit medical claims; and many providers are facing 
imminent insolvency as cash reserves are drying up.
  Yesterday, I was in Ithaca and met with Rome Health and Cayuga Health 
who told me they are losing hundreds of thousands of dollars every 
single day with stacks of claims nearly two feet high that they can't 
file.
  Americans, meanwhile, are struggling to refill prescriptions, having 
their care delayed or denied and are unable to use patient assistance 
programs they need to stay healthy. Our hospitals, particularly our 
smaller ones without a cushion of cash reserve, could have ended up 
laying off people and not providing services had CMS not stepped up to 
the plate. I am so glad they did.
  Probably even worse, our small pharmacies who have no financial 
cushion

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could have ended up shutting down and would have told millions of 
patients, millions of customers that they can't provide the medicines 
these customers need because they were not getting reimbursed.
  This was a crisis, so last Friday, I called upon HHS and CMS to use 
their authority to accelerate payments to our hospitals and impacted 
providers. Hospitals and providers need help from the Federal 
Government so they can focus on their main mission as much as possible, 
which is providing care for their patients. I warned that the longer 
this crisis persists, the harder it will be for hospitals and other 
providers to stay open.
  Today, I am pleased to see that HHS and CMS are heeding my call. This 
is a huge shot in the arm and will provide immediate relief to 
hospitals and providers, just like we saw during COVID. CMS had the 
ability to do this; and during COVID, when providers also were not 
being reimbursed, they filled the void. And I am glad they are doing it 
again.
  What CMS has done is an encouraging first step, but the work cannot 
stop until every affected provider has the financial stability to 
weather this storm. We need CMS to cut through the redtape to make sure 
these advanced payments are done right. The systems of the different 
providers are varied. Some are very complicated. We need CMS to be both 
persistent and flexible.
  And, of course, we have asked the FBI and other Justice Department 
Agencies to find out who these awful perpetrators of this ransomware 
were to put them out of business and see if they can seek punishment, 
depending on the country that these providers came from.
  I thank the administration for its swift action, and I encourage it 
to do more. I will work daily with the administration and providers 
alike until the situation is resolved.

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