[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 43 (Monday, March 11, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S2337]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                        Healthcare Cyber Attack

  Madam President, now on the healthcare cyber attack, after last 
month's devastating, unprecedented cyber attack on tens of thousands of 
hospitals, pharmacies, and doctors' offices in New York and across 
America, I am proud that last week HHS and CMS heeded my call to 
provide healthcare providers immediate relief to help get their systems 
back up to speed.
  This weekend, we received more good news: CMS expanded its response 
to the cyber attack to include Medicare Part B providers. This new 
action by CMS will directly help our doctors on the frontline of this 
crisis continue to stay open and provide care for their patients. 
Because of the cyber attack, people weren't getting the dollars they 
had to expend to do their jobs. I commend CMS for continuing to heed my 
call for an all-hands-on-deck approach to this crisis.
  For over 3 weeks now, providers--including hospitals, doctors, and 
pharmacies big and small--have all been unable to submit medical claims 
as a result of this cyber attack, leaving many facing imminent 
insolvency. I met with Rome Health in Rome, NY, and Cayuga Health in 
Ithaca, who told me they are losing hundreds of thousands of dollars a 
day and have stacks of claims nearly 2 feet high that they are unable 
to file.
  The American people are feeling the pain of this cyber attack too. 
Many are struggling to refill prescriptions, some are having their care 
delayed or denied, and others are unable to use patient assistance 
programs they rely on.
  Had CMS not stepped up to the plate, hospitals and pharmacies--
especially the smaller ones that don't have large cash reserves--faced 
the risk of laying people off or even shutting down entirely because 
they were not being reimbursed.
  So this new action by CMS to expand its response and include Medicare 
Part B providers in relief efforts is an encouraging step, but this 
crisis is far from over. I will continue working with the 
administration, my colleagues in Congress, CMS--I talked to the 
Administrator just a few hours ago--and others in the healthcare 
industry to get providers the relief they need and to protect our 
healthcare system from future attacks.