Manatee Review

Congressman Vern Buchanan, Vice Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and Chairman of the Health Subcommittee, along with Congressman Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), led a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra on May 15, 2024. The letter detailed concerns that the current recoupment period does not adequately reflect the harsh realities providers have faced in the wake of the Change Healthcare cyberattack.

Change Healthcare, which supports 14 billion clinical, financial, and operational transactions annually, suffered from a major cyberattack on February 21, 2024. Researchers at the University of Minnesota revealed that there's a nearly 21 percent increase in mortality for patients in a ransomware-attacked hospital. Many small, urban, and rural providers have struggled to determine specific areas where they may have been affected by the cyberattack due to Change’s presence throughout the health care network.

“I am continuing to hear from providers in Florida who are still dealing with the fallout from this devastating cyberattack,” said Congressman Buchanan. “It’s crucial that the Biden administration gives the needed flexibility to health care providers that are still trying to recover from this historic attack on our nation’s health care system.”

The lawmakers wrote in their letter: “As you know, this has been the most detrimental cyberattack to our health care system in our nation’s history. Providers have continued to face significant cash flow problems as a result of the cyberattack, with reports stating some providers estimate losses of up to $1 billion a day."

Mary Mayhew, President and CEO of the Florida Hospital Association stated: “The Change Healthcare cyberattack impacted nearly every hospital in the state... We are grateful for this effort by Congressman Buchanan & Congressman Bilirakis to ensure that hospitals are not required to repay their advanced payments at the cost of being able to continue to deliver care.”

Charlene MacDonald, EVP, Public Affairs of the Federation of American Hospitals added: “Throughout the Change Healthcare cyberattack, hospitals continued to provide high-quality care 24/7 to every patient who came through the door... We appreciate Rep. Buchanan & Bilirakis’ efforts to promote additional flexibility for affected providers during this tumultuous time.”

The lawmakers urged Secretary Becerra to use his authority to adjust and extend the recoupment period for all providers continuing to deal with the fallout of an issue they did not cause.