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Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY) today announced a legislative hearing titled "Legislative Proposals to Increase Medicaid Access and Improve Program Integrity." “Medicaid is indispensable to millions of Americans, particularly those with disabilities who rely on long-term services and supports. It’s critical that we work to bolster access to those services while also improving the integrity of the program to ensure that states can continue to offer care for years to come,” said Chairs Rodgers and Guthrie. “We thank the Members who have led on these proposals—many of which are bipartisan—and look forward to hearing from Deputy Administrator Tsai on how we can strengthen Medicaid for those it was designed to assist.” Subcommittee on Health hearing titled "Legislative Proposals to Increase Medicaid Access and Improve Program Integrity.”  WHAT : A hearing to discuss legislative proposals that will strengthen the Medicaid program for individuals most in need.    DATE : Tuesday, April 30, 2024      TIME : 10:00 AM ET  LOCATION : 2123 Rayburn House Office Building      WITNESS :   Daniel Tsai, Deputy Administrator and Director of the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)   LEGISLATIVE PROPOSALS TO BE DISCUSSED :  H.R. 124 , Byron Nash Renal Medullary Carcinoma Awareness of 2023 (Rep. Green)  H.R. 468 , Building America’s Health Care Workforce Act (Reps. Guthrie and Dean)  H.R. 670 , Think Differently Database Act (Reps. Molinaro and Sherrill)  H.R. 3227 , Ensuring Seniors’ Access to Quality Care Act (Reps. Estes and Connolly)  H.R. 7513 , Protecting America’s Seniors Access to Care Act (Reps. Fischbach and Pence)  H.R. 7573 , Stop Unfair Medicaid Recoveries Act (Rep. Schakowsky)  H.R. 8084 , To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to require States to verify certain eligibility criteria for individuals enrolled for medical assistance quarterly, and for other purposes (Reps. Bilirakis and Craig)  H.R. 8089 , To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to require certain additional provider screening under the Medicaid program (Reps. Garcia and Peters)  H.R. 8094 , To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to modify certain asset recovery rules (Rep. Kean)  H.R. 8106 , To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to remove the requirement that an individual need an institutional level of care in order to qualify for home and community-based services under a Medicaid waiver (Reps. McMorris Rodgers and Pallone)  H.R. 8107 , To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to remove certain age restrictions on Medicaid eligibility for working adults with disabilities (Reps. Ciscomani and Gluesenkamp Perez)  H.R. 8108 , To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to require medical assistance under the Medicaid program for certain home and community-based services for military families (Reps. Kiggans and Kaptur)  H.R. 8109 , To amend the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 to make permanent the Money Follows the Person rebalancing demonstration (Reps. Dingell and Balderson)  H.R. 8110 , To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to make permanent the State option to extend protection against spousal impoverishment for recipients of home and community-based services under Medicaid (Reps. Dingell and James)   H.R. 8111 , To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to ensure the reliability of address information provided under the Medicaid program (Reps. Miller-Meeks and Cartwright)  H.R. 8112 , To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to require certain additional provider screening under the Medicaid program (Rep. D’Esposito)  H.R. 8113 , To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to require reporting on certain directed payments under the Medicaid program (Rep. Griffith)    H.R. 8114 , To prohibit the Secretary of Health and Human Services from finalizing a rule proposed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to place certain limitations on Medicaid payments for home and community-based services (Rep. Cammack)  H.R. 8115 , To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to allow for the deferral or disallowance of portions of payments for certain managed care violations under Medicaid (Rep. Sarbanes)  This notice is at the direction of the Chair. The hearing will be open to the public and press and will be live streamed online at https://energycommerce.house.gov/ . If you have any questions concerning the hearing, please contact Emma Schultheis with the Committee staff at Emma.Schultheis@mail.house.gov . If you have any press-related questions, please contact Christopher Krepich at Christopher.Krepich@mail.house.gov . 

Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) released the following statement after the Biden administration announced its final Minimum Staffing Rule and Medicaid Access Rule:  “The President’s one-size-fits-all, Washington-knows-best approach to long-term care is an unfunded mandate that will drive up costs and threaten access for patients. The minimum staff-to-patient ratio is unworkable for nearly 80 percent of nursing homes, requiring facilities to increase costs for patients or close their doors to new patients. The so-called ‘access rule’ creates untenable standards for home health agencies to meet. Both rules in practice will result in reduced access to care for those that need it most and their families." BACKGROUND :  The Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health held a hearing in October 2023, after the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services proposed the rules. Witnesses, including providers and former state officials, criticized the rules for putting access to care in jeopardy for millions of Americans.  Chair Rodgers also joined House Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith (R-MO) and Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-ID) in urging the administration to withdraw the minimum staffing rule.  Reps. Greg Pence (R-IN) and Michelle Fischbach (R-MN) introduced H.R. 7513 , the Protecting America’s Seniors Access to Care Act , which would block the finalization of the Minimum Staffing Rule. 

Washington D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY) delivered the following opening remarks at today’s hearing titled “Fiscal Year 2025 Department of Health and Human Services Budget.”  “Thank you, Mr. Secretary, for being here before us. Today we are here to examine the Fiscal Year 2025 budget request for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.” BIDEN’S RECKLESS SPENDING IS HURTING EVERYDAY AMERICANS “Just last week, the monthly inflation data showed that year-over-year inflation increased by 3.5 percent in March. Instead of including policies to help everyday Americans, HHS’ budget request doubles down on the tax-and-spend policies that have cut Americans paychecks. “The budget request totals nearly $1.85 trillion, an over $100 billion increase over last year’s request. “Today we will hear the Secretary talk about why the budget doesn’t not lower health care costs and spends trillions in new dollars. This misses the mark. “The budget does little to address the costs of care for the average family of four with employer-sponsored insurance paid almost $24,000 in annual premiums in 2023, which represents a 22 percent increase in the average annual premium a family paid in 2018. “Just because someone has a health insurance does not mean they can afford health care.” MEDICARE PRICES ARE ON THE RISE THANKS TO THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION “Further, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, changes made by the mis-named Inflation Reduction Act will lead to 'substantially higher' premiums for seniors enrolled in a Medicare Part D drug plan next year. “This year seniors are paying an average of 21 percent more in Part D premiums with seniors in the five states seeing the highest levels of Part D use projected to pay upwards of 57 percent more in monthly premiums in 2024, including in California. “Those costs are likely to skyrocket even higher in 2025. Evidence suggests that these price controls are also leading to less research and development in critical research areas, undermining patient access to life-saving therapies. “Instead of working with House Republicans to find ways to ensure working class families can access the care they need at a price they can afford, the administration’s budget request doubles-down on more handouts for the wealthy by permanently expanding ACA insurance company subsidies and drug price controls, which would be paid for by raising taxes.” BURDENSOME OVERSIGHT AND REGULATION IS HURTING THE HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY “Additionally, this budget request furthers previous actions from the administration to impose burdensome and unnecessary oversight over nursing facilities and long-term care providers. “While I agree we ought to do as much as we possibly can to protect patient safety, this top-down approach will only place more strain on an already overrun part of our health care sector and reduce access to care for vulnerable patients. “These new proposals come on top of pending regulations that would establish minimum staffing standards for long-term care facilities, costing Kentucky long-term care facilities $69 million annually just to come into compliance. “Regulations like these are being considered despite more than 500 nursing home closures across the country since 2020, as well as the industry significantly experiencing unprecedented workforce shortages.” SECRETARY BECERRA HAS REFUSED TO ADDRESS THE INFLUX OF DEADLY DRUGS AT OUR SOUTHERN BORDER “I am disappointed that the budget request does nothing to address the influx of illicit drugs, like fentanyl, coming across our border at a rapid rate. “In fact, the budget only mentions fentanyl once in a footnote despite Customs and Border Protection seizing nearly 10,000 pounds of deadly fentanyl at our Southwest Border in the first 6 months of Fiscal Year 2024. “We have policies that passed out of this very committee that I am disappointed were not included in this year’s budget request, such as the HALT Fentanyl Act and the Securing the Border for Public Health Act. “Both of these bills would give law enforcement, including our brave border patrol agents, with the tools to crack down on drug traffickers and keep these drugs off our streets. “I’m glad to see the HHS budget request $6 million for the Comprehensive Opioid Recovery Centers program, which I led in establishing in 2018. These recovery centers provide wrap around services for individuals seeking help to overcome substance use disorder.   “This was included in the SUPPORT Act Reauthorization, which just passed the House with a broad bipartisan vote. I look forward to working with the Senate to get the SUPPORT Act signed into law. “In closing, I believe it’s time for commonsense solutions to solve some of the most serious programs effecting American patients, especially the high costs of health care. “I urge the Biden administration to work with Congress to find bipartisan policies that can truly lower the costs of care, eliminate ineffective programming, reduce federal spending, and provide more choices for American patients by incentivizing, not stifling, innovation.”

Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY), and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA), on behalf of the Health and Oversight Subcommittee Republicans, wrote to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra.  The letter outlines concerns with the role HHS Office of Civil Rights (OCR) plays—or fails to play—in investigating instances of sexual harassment that occurs at research institutions which receive grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).  KEY EXCERPTS :  “There have been several public reports of sexual harassment occurring on NIH-funded research or NIH-supported activities over the last decade, and it raises concerns about what, if any, actions the NIH has taken to resolve these issues. The NIH’s own statistics show a significant problem with more than 300 cases related to sexual or gender harassment since 2018—with about a third of those allegations being substantiated. This also represents hundreds of men and women who may be forced to operate in a hostile or unsafe research environment.”  [...]  “According to the HHS website, OCR does investigate and resolve complaints of sexual harassment in the education and health programs of recipients of grants or other federal financial assistance from HHS—including the NIH. Moreover, HHS OCR is required to conduct periodic compliance reviews of institutional Title IX programs to ensure compliance with the law—including examining the way in which complaints are handled by the institution.”  The Chairs have requested answers to questions about HHS OCR’s role by April 30, 2024.  BACKGROUND :  Based on a recommendation from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), HHS OCR and the NIH adopted a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to facilitate communication between the two components of HHS as it relates to sexual harassment.   This MOU was intended to clarify procedures on how the enforcement arm of HHS and the grant-making arm share valuable information with one another in an effort to respond appropriately to complaints of sexual harassment and prevent federal grant money from going to those with a history of sexual misconduct.   TIMELINE OF INVESTIGATION :  August 10, 2021 : E&C Republican Leaders Question NIH’s Handling of Sexual Harassment Complaints  August 11, 2022 : E&C Republican Leaders follow up with NIH on Insufficient Response to its Letter on the NIH’s handling of Sexual Harassment  November 30, 2022 : E&C Republicans to NIH: Turn Over Previously Requested Information Ahead of New Congress  March 14, 2023 : E&C Republicans Press NIH for Information on Handling of Sexual Harassment Complaints  October 6, 2023 : E&C Republicans Signal Intent to Issue Subpoenas to Obtain Information on NIH’s Handling of Sexual Harassment if Questions Go Unanswered  January 26, 2024 : Chair Rogers notifies NIH of Imminent Subpoena  February 5, 2024 : Chair Rodgers Subpoenas NIH for Documents Related to Investigation into Sexual Harassment at NIH and NIH Grantee Institutions February 20, 2024: HHS Responds on behalf of NIH to offer a rolling in camera document review to the Committee. Documents produced in the review have been highly redacted, including the redaction of the names of individuals convicted of criminal offenses, public news articles about individuals who have been found guilty of harassment, and redaction of the names of the institutions where the abuse occurred—effectively preventing the Committee from understanding if NIH continues to fund work performed by substantiated abusers at other institutions—a practice known as “pass the harasser.”

Washington D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) delivered the following opening remarks at today’s Health Subcommittee hearing titled “Fiscal Year 2025 Department of Health and Human Services Budget.”  “I wish I could say this hearing is an exciting opportunity to learn more about President Biden and Secretary Becerra’s vision for how we can all work together to plow the hard ground necessary to improve the lives of the American people by addressing major issues such as the fentanyl crisis and rising health care costs. “I wish this budget contained bold, new ideas from the HHS Secretary on how to lower health care costs or at least prioritized implementation and enforcement of existing initiatives to lower health care costs. “Instead, what we have before us today, is a budget request that proposes more than $1.8 trillion in spending for fiscal year 2025 with misplaced priorities throughout. “It prioritizes spending $.25 trillion to large health insurance companies to subsidize insurance premiums rather than innovative proposals to lower the actual cost of health care. “It favors the pursuit of far-left priorities over implementation and enforcement of bipartisan health care laws, and it signals to the American people who are struggling under the weight of an overly expensive and complicated health care system, that help is not on the way from this administration.” UNRESPONSIVENESS & MISPLACED PRIORITIES “Secretary Becerra, this is the third time you have testified on an HHS budget before the Energy and Commerce Committee, and you have already testified before the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means Committees this year. “If those are any indication, we will hear platitudes about lower drug prices, but nothing on what you have done to lower outrageous hospital bills and empower patients with the ability to know the price they will pay for care up front. “We will hear about what HHS is doing to address climate change, but not what HHS is doing to tackle the fentanyl crisis that is devastating communities and killing hundreds of Americans a day. “We will hear that ‘you’ll get back to us’—as we have seemingly countless times in the past—on questions of critical importance to the American people . “Secretary Becerra, I hope you prove me wrong.” OUTSTANDING INQUIRIES “Secretary Becerra, I’ll also raise a very disturbing lack of transparency from the NIH—a subagency under your purview—regarding sexual harassment at the agency and institutions it provides grants to—a very serious issue that this Committee has been investigating for almost three years. “At the direction of your department, Mr. Secretary, the NIH continues to obstruct the Committee and cover for individuals found to have committed sexual harassment or abuse at NIH-funded institutions, including many convicted of crimes. “You need to stop withholding critical information from this Committee, you need to stop protecting sexual abusers. The victims deserve full accountability and justice.” INFLATION IN HEALTHCARE “I’ll close with a somber reminder: rampant inflation is not behind us. “The latest reports showed that inflation remains persistently high, and it is compounding, making everyday expenses more and more difficult for American households. “Your failure to propose a responsible fiscal policy shows again how little this administration cares about inflation and the impact it has on everyday Americans. “You are quick to propose more reckless spending, without regard to how it will fuel the fire of increasing prices and then refuse to take any accountability for the harmful result. “I look forward to hearing from you on how you plan to address these concerns. I hope you prove my predictions wrong.”

Washington D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) delivered the following opening remarks at today’s Health Subcommittee hearing titled "Examining Health Sector Cybersecurity In The Wake Of The Change Healthcare Attack."   “Thank you to everyone for being here today as we discuss cybersecurity in health care and the recent Change Healthcare cyberattack.   “While I am disappointed that UnitedHealth Group chose not to make anyone available to testify today, so the Committee and the American people could hear directly from them about how that specific cyberattack occurred, I will note UnitedHealth briefed E&C members recently on the matter and have committed to testifying at a future hearing.  “Health care cybersecurity was already a concern before the Change attack, and I look forward to today’s discussion about what the federal government, doctors, hospitals, and others have done right and where there is opportunity to improve the resiliency of the health care sector.”  CHANGE CYBERATTACK   “The Change Healthcare cyberattack is just the most recent case of ransomware targeting our health care system, and, due to Change’s integration with so many of the health care providers and payers, it is still impacting providers and health care organizations across the country.   “I have heard concerns from providers, rural hospitals, and many others, all worried about what this cyberattack means for them.   “And just this morning, the Change Health hackers were posting stolen data from the ransomware attack.  “There are still many unanswered questions and lessons to be learned from this attack.   “How did this attack gain entry to the Change system?   “How can hospitals, doctors, and others best protect themselves?   “What other third parties do our nation’s health care providers rely upon that, if taken offline, could have a similarly negative impact on the U.S. health care system?”  HEALTH SYSTEM CONTEXT FOR CHANGE   “Health care infrastructure is crucial for patients receiving the care they need, and, sadly, this will likely not be the last breach or ransomware attack that will happen.   “Patient data is valuable, and it is housed online.   “That is why we must continue to examine health care cybersecurity and make sure that patient data remains protected.   “HHS has overall responsibility for ensuring cybersecurity within health care across the U.S. federal government, and the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, or ASPR, has been designated as the ‘one-stop shop’ responsible for leading and coordinating the cybersecurity efforts—both within HHS and with external partners.  “However, there seems to be multiple offices and agencies that have some role in our cyber response.  “The Office of Civil Rights, the HHS Chief Information Officer, the Office of the National Coordinator, and, in this most recent response, CMS, all played a role.  “As our health care system becomes more consolidated, the impacts of cyberattacks—if successful—may be more widespread, pulling in even more agencies and offices within HHS.”  E&C CYBER WORK   “This Committee has led at examining cybersecurity across all sectors.   “In 2019, Congress made explicit that part of the responsibilities of ASPR is preparedness and response to cyber threats.   “In 2020, a bill led by Dr. Burgess, which passed through this Committee, encouraged health care organizations to adopt strong cybersecurity best-practices.   “Last Congress, this committee worked to give FDA more authority over cyber security of medical devices.  “And more recently, in the reauthorization of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act reported by this committee, we made it explicit that cybersecurity should be considered and prioritized as part of ASPR’s National Health Security Strategy, and the Energy and Commerce Committee will continue leading the way in examining this issue.   “I hope we can use this hearing today to learn more about the Change Healthcare cyberattack and the response.   “Is this a unique situation?   “What do providers and patients need to know and look out for?   “I don’t want this committee to be back here in five or 10 years, after more patients’ health care is disrupted by known criminal actors finding vulnerabilities in the cyber security of our health system.  “To prevent that, I look forward to hearing from our witnesses about:   “What can health care learn from other sectors?   “Are there more federal authorities HHS needs?   “What is the best balance to get better adoption of existing cybersecurity practices?  “I look forward to the discussion today and yield back.”

Washington D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY) delivered the following opening remarks at today’s subcommittee hearing titled "Examining Health Sector Cybersecurity in the Wake of the Change Healthcare Attack." “Today we will hear from industry experts and health care providers, large and small, about our health care cybersecurity. This is especially important considering recent events.”  CHANGE HEALTHCARE RANSOMWARE ATACK CAUSED SIGNIFICANT DISRUPTION FOR PATIENTS AND PROVIDERS   “On February 21, our health care system experienced one of the largest cyberattacks known to date.    “Change Healthcare, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth, experienced a ransomware attack that resulted in substantial disruption to the health care industry.   “UnitedHealth Group took three key systems offline, impacting claims processing, payment and billing, and eligibility verifications.   “The disruption that ensued caused patients to go without access to medications or experiencing higher than expected out of pocket costs for these daily medications.   “Providers—large and small—went unpaid, and in some cases still haven’t been made whole—and patients experienced delays accessing care they otherwise would be eligible to receive.    “To put this in greater context, Change Healthcare alone processed 15 billion health care claims annually, that are linked to providers and hospitals across the country.   “My office and I have personally heard from constituents impacted. In one such instance, an independent provider in my hometown of Bowling Green is still grappling with the fallout from the attack.   “His practice is losing staff because they can’t make payroll while systems are still getting back online. I am concerned that we still don’t know how much sensitive information may have been compromised.  “I am committed to continuing our work alongside the Department of Health and Human Services and our private sector partners, including United Health, to assess the damage caused by the ransomware attack.”   CYBER ATTACKS HAVE BEEN ON THE RISE IN RECENT YEARS   “I am equally committed to working to ensure health care providers are doing all they can to stop these ransomware attacks in their tracks.   “These attacks are nothing new to the health care system. According to HHS data, large data breaches increased by more than 93 percent between 2018-2022, with a 278 percent increase in large breaches reported to HHS’ Office of Civil Rights involving ransomware from 2018 to 2022.   “One of the primary drivers of the alarming increase in ransomware attacks is the payout the perpetrators demand in exchange for retrieving the stolen information, which in the case of the Change attack, allegedly resulted in a $22 million pay day for the sophisticated dark web group AlphV.   “The average health care data breach now costs an average of $10 million, which has increased by 53 percent in the past three years according to a 2023 report by IBM.   “The federal government’s response to protect against cyberthreats targeting our health care system has been lagging relative to the serious threat posed by such threats, especially by adversarial nations.   “A July 2022 alert issued by key national security agencies underscored this reality, uncovering that a North Korean state-sponsored ransomware attack targeted assets responsible for housing electronic health records, diagnostic services, and imaging services.   “Another attack against an Ohio-based health system led to the cancelation of surgeries and diverted care for patients seeking emergency services.”  THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MUST BE PROACTIVE AND PARTNER WITH INDUSTRY STAKEHOLDERS TO PREVENT FUTURE ATTACKS   “The Biden administration published a National Strategy document last year outlining steps the federal government will take to bolster our cyber readiness.   “That culminated in HHS issuing a four-step plan to strengthen our health care cyber defenses in December of last year, including establishing voluntary sector cybersecurity performance goals, providing resources to incentivize and implement best practices, and increasing enforcement and accountability efforts within the agency.   “I think we need to be very deliberate when thinking through the balance of incentives and penalties and accountability.    “To be clear, I appreciate the administration’s continued work in this critical space.   “However, I can’t help but wonder if we could have avoided the most recent event if these steps were taken much sooner.     “While I don’t ever believe it is ever too little, too late, we have our work cut out for us to ensure our health care system is a global leader in cybersecurity and patient safety and Americans’ privacy remains front and center.”

Washington D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr., (D-NJ), Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY) and Ranking Member Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA), and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA) and Ranking Member Kathy Castor (D-FL) wrote to UnitedHealth Group, Inc., CEO Andrew Witty today seeking information about the cyberattack on Change Healthcare. Change Healthcare, which was acquired by UnitedHealth Group’s Optum subsidiary in 2022, is one of the nation’s largest providers of health care payment management systems. On February 21, UnitedHealth Group reported it had experienced a cyberattack on its platforms, and it had taken all Change Healthcare systems offline to contain the incident. As a result of the outage, critical services affecting patient care—including billing services, claims transmittals, and eligibility verifications—became inoperable. Though UnitedHealth first notified users that it expected the disruption to “last at least through the day,” several of the company’s products have now been inoperable for more than a month. “Change Healthcare is a central player in the country’s health care system, which has been upended by the recent breach,” t he bipartisan Committee leaders wrote to Mr. Witty. “We are interested in your efforts to secure Change Healthcare’s systems since it was acquired by your company and the efforts you are taking to restore system functionality and support patients and providers affected by the attack.” Change Healthcare’s platforms touch an estimated one in three U.S. patient records. Its systems process roughly 15 billion transactions annually, and are linked to approximately 900,000 physicians, 118,000 dentists, 33,000 pharmacies, and 5,500 hospitals nationwide. The breadth of Change Healthcare’s infrastructure all but ensures that the scope of the current disruption, and any disruption in Change Healthcare services, will be extensive. “The health care system is rapidly consolidating at virtually every level, creating fewer redundancies and more vulnerability to the entire system if an entity with significant market share at any level of the system is compromised,” the Committee leaders wrote. “In order to understand better the steps UnitedHealth has taken to address this situation, we request information about the impact of the cyberattack, the actions the company is taking to secure its systems, and the outreach to the health care community in the aftermath.” As a result of the system outage, providers reportedly struggled to make payroll while some patients have been forced to pay out of pocket for crucial medications including cancer therapy drugs and insulin because pharmacies are unable to verify coverage. The Committee leaders requested answers to a series of detailed questions by April 29, 2024. CLICK HERE to read the full letter. 

Washington D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) delivered the following opening remarks at today’s Health Subcommittee hearing o n ensuring patients continue to have the choice whether to go to a doctor in person or use telehealth when appropriate and more convenient for them. “Over the last several years, telehealth has proven itself to be a vital way for patients to access care, particularly in rural communities. “One of the lessons we’ve learned from the pandemic is that telehealth should continue to be part of modernizing the health care ecosystem across the country.  “That’s why we are here today, working across the aisle to ensure this option for care remains available across the country moving forward.” TELEHEALTH SUPPORTS EASTERN WASHINGTON “I grew up in the small town of Kettle Falls, Washington, and I have lived through some of the challenges that people face in rural communities when it comes to accessing health care. “I frequently visit hospitals and health care facilities all throughout my district in Eastern Washington—many in rural areas. “These issues matter, which is why I’m proud to say that our conversations about expanding telehealth to address barriers to care—like transportation or doctor shortages—are no longer just aspirational goals, it’s happening today. “In response to COVID-19, Providence Health System—which has four hospitals in my district—scaled up their telehealth services from more than 7,000 visits in 2019 to more than 100,000 visits in 2020. “This is more than a 1,000 percent increase in volume. “And they didn’t stop there. Providence Health System and physicians across Washington state have continued to innovate with telehealth technologies to reach more patients, save lives, and improve care. “Using telehealth, Providence physicians have been able to diagnose appendicitis in a young patient, work with a pregnant woman to help find her baby’s fetal heartbeat and provide care for patients with mental health conditions. “I am glad Providence is here to today to talk about how their providers have continued to use technology to help patients.” WIN THE FUTURE OF TELEHEALTH “At the end of the last Congress, we worked together to make a bipartisan investment to continue the telehealth flexibilities patients benefited from during the pandemic. “But those flexibilities are now set to expire at the end of this year. “We want to make sure patients remain in control of their doctor visit decisions, and it is the patient deciding whether or not to utilize telehealth services. “Today, we’ll discuss legislation to do just that, such as Representative Carter’s Telehealth Modernization Act . “While we recognize continuing telehealth flexibilities for patients will require significant investment, we can’t afford to go backwards and lose the progress we’ve made in expanding access to care. “Additionally, we will also hear new ideas on where we should go from here beyond the telehealth policies established coming out of the pandemic. “These bills, such as the Telehealth Enhancement for Mental Health Act , led by our committee’s newest Member, Representative James, offer us opportunities to further improve how we’re using telehealth to help patients. “I’ll close by noting that I'm optimistic about telehealth and its ability to improve the health and wellness of Americans, especially those in rural communities around the country. “It’s bringing doctors right into families’ living rooms, making it easier for patients to get the health care they need, and it is a great example of how innovation can improve and save people’s lives. “We must maintain our commitment to our nation’s seniors to provide a top-notch level of care in a way that does not increase their Medicare costs and makes sure Medicare is sustainable for the future. “This hearing today is a first step towards that process for telehealth and another important part of this committee’s mission to make the health care system work better for patients. “America can and should lead the way on the best use of telehealth for the benefit of every patient.”