Sen. Wyden Discusses Cybersecurity Risks and Prescription Drug Costs in Healthcare Industry: Protecting Patients and Access to Care

During a conversation with AHA members, Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon expressed frustration with the cyberattack on Change Healthcare. He believes this breach jeopardized patients and their personal data. Wyden noted that the health care sector is a prime target for criminals and foreign adversaries like China and Russia. With middlemen companies controlling core functions in the health care system, they can dictate contract terms to health providers. This could result in providers being locked into contracts with these large companies, leading to systemic cybersecurity risks.

Sen. Wyden emphasized the importance of supporting rural hospitals to ensure access to care in those communities. He also discussed the need to crack down on pharmacy benefit managers and their actions that are contributing to the rising cost of prescription drugs. This highlights the complexity of the challenges facing the health care system and the importance of addressing them to protect patients and improve access to care.

Wyden believes that middlemen companies have become too powerful in the health care system, as they control core functions like billing and claims processing. This has led to a situation where these companies can dictate contract terms to health providers, which results in providers being locked into contracts with these large companies.

This has resulted in systemic cybersecurity risks as hackers often target middlemen companies due to their control over critical data systems within the healthcare industry.

Senator Wyden emphasized that it’s important for lawmakers to take action against pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) who have been contributing significantly to rising prescription drug costs by charging exorbitant fees for their services.

He also highlighted how critical it is for lawmakers to support rural hospitals so that patients in these communities have access