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☆ Lawmakers release text of $1.2 trillion spending bill as shutdown deadline nears
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-21 | by ( Sahil Kapur | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers early Thursday morning released the text of a $1.2 trillion government funding bill negotiated by the White House and leaders of both parties to avoid a partial government shutdown this weekend. Those federal agencies are scheduled to shut down on Saturday if the funding package is not passed by Friday night. President Joe Biden has said he'll sign the bill, but it's unclear whether Congress has enough time to pass it before the deadline. It is the last remaining funding package that Congress has to pass this fiscal year, which ends after September. After the House passes the bill, the Senate will require unanimous consent to vote quickly.

Persons: Joe Biden, Mike Johnson, Johnson, Hakeem Jeffries, Biden, Chuck Schumer, Schumer, Mitch McConnell, — Frank Thorp Organizations: WASHINGTON — Lawmakers, White, Homeland Security, Defense, State, Labor, Health, Human Services, DHS, Internal Revenue Service, Republicans, House Republicans, House, Department of Homeland Security Locations: Washington, Washington , DC, D, Ky

The other five funding bills were effectively settled by the end of last week, with only the Homeland Security bill presenting deep divisions Republicans and Democrats were unable to settle. The deal is being negotiated by Johnson, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the White House and top appropriators in both chambers. Republicans rejected additional funding for ICE in a bipartisan border deal agreed to by senators and the White House, demanding additional policy changes. But they, too, have demands in the funding bill. The White House has also sought increased flexibility to aid border operations, sources with knowledge of the discussion said.

Persons: Mike Johnson, he'll, Johnson, Chuck Schumer, Bob Good, Chip Roy, Joe Biden's, they're Organizations: WASHINGTON, Congressional, Department of Homeland Security, State , Defense, Homeland Security, Labor, Health, Human Services, Republicans, Democrats, DHS, White, Congress, Immigration, Customs, ICE Locations: Texas

Congress has until Friday at midnight to pass six major spending bills to avert a partial government shutdown. Six spending bills that cover roughly three-quarters of all federal discretionary spending are at stake:– Defense: Includes funding for nearly all military-related activities. – State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs: Includes funding for U.S. diplomatic activities, cultural exchanges, development and humanitarian assistance. As of Monday morning, appropriators had yet to release any of the six funding bills they’ll need to pass. The stalemate comes in the wake of Republicans killing the bipartisan Senate border deal last month.

Persons: appropriators, they’re Organizations: –, – Financial Services, General Government, Department of, Treasury, of Columbia, – Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Coast Guard, Customs, Immigration Services, Labor, Health, Human Services, Education, Centers for Disease Control, Food and Drug Administration, Social Security, National Labor Relations Board, Senate, U.S . Capitol Police, of Congress, Foreign, House Republican, White House, Department of Homeland Security Locations: U.S, – State

☆ Hacked health care giant makes progress in recovery, but concerns for small clinics remain
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Change Healthcare says it handles one in every three patient records in the US. Change Healthcare restored its electronic payments platform on March 15 and “is proceeding with payer implementations,” UnitedHealthGroup said in a statement on Monday. “Billions of dollars” stopped flowing to health care providers because of the hack, according to AHA, which represents thousands of hospitals across the country. The unprecedented pressure on a hacked US health care firm won’t go away with the restoration of billing services. HHS has opened an investigation into whether Change Healthcare has complied with federal law to protect patient data.

Persons: ”, ” UnitedHealthGroup, won’t Organizations: CNN, Biden, American Hospital Association, Healthcare, AHA, White House, Department of Health, Human Services, HHS Locations: United States, Colorado, Oregon

☆ Border policy a key sticking point in Congress with shutdown deadline just days away
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Clare Foran | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Lawmakers are scrambling to avert a partial shutdown ahead of a federal government funding deadline at the end of the week. The Department of Homeland Security has proven to be a particularly thorny issue in the funding fight amid partisan disagreements over border policy. Since then, lawmakers have faced a series of fiscal cliffs as a result of funding deadlines created by short-term extensions. In the Senate, lawmakers will need to reach a time agreement to pass the legislation before Friday’s shutdown deadline. The objection of any one senator could slow the process down and threaten to take lawmakers right up to, or past, the deadline.

Persons: Mike Johnson, –, Joe Biden, Johnson, Kevin McCarthy Organizations: Defense, Homeland Security, Labor, Health, Human Services, Education, State, Department of Homeland Security, Senate, Republican, Democratic, Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Veterans Affairs, Energy, Housing, Urban, and Drug Administration, Republicans Locations: Transportation

☆ UnitedHealth Group has paid more than $2 billion to providers following cyberattack
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Ashley Capoot | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

UnitedHealth Group said Monday that it's paid out more than $2 billion to help health-care providers who have been affected by the cyberattack on subsidiary Change Healthcare. "We continue to make significant progress in restoring the services impacted by this cyberattack," UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Witty said in a press release. "We know this has been an enormous challenge for health care providers and we encourage any in need to contact us." It also introduced a temporary funding assistance program to help health-care providers experiencing cash flow trouble because of the attack. A survey published by the American Hospital Association on Friday found that 94% of hospitals have experienced financial disruptions from the Change Healthcare attack.

Persons: it's, Andrew, UnitedHealth, Rick Pollack, Biden, UnitedHealth hasn't, Scott Gottlieb Organizations: UnitedHealth, Change Healthcare, Healthcare, Medicare, Medicaid Services, American Hospital Association, Administration, U.S . Department of Health, Human Services, Office, Civil Rights, Palo Alto Networks, Google Locations: Palo

☆ When Medicaid Comes After the Family Home
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( Paula Span | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The letter came from the state department of human services in July 2021. It expressed condolences for the loss of the recipient’s mother, who had died a few weeks earlier at 88. Then it explained that the deceased had incurred a Medicaid debt of more than $77,000 and provided instructions on how to repay the money. She asked not to be identified, because the case is unresolved and she doesn’t want to jeopardize her chances of getting the bill reduced. The daughter moved into the family’s Midwestern home years earlier, when her widowed mother, who had vascular dementia, began to need assistance.

Persons: “, ” Organizations: The New York Times

☆ Harris says it’s absurd and unfair that marijuana is treated more seriously than fentanyl under federal law
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Michael Williams | Samantha Waldenberg | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Washington CNN —Vice President Kamala Harris said Friday that it is “absurd” and “patently unfair” that marijuana is treated the same as heroin and other Schedule I drugs – and more seriously than fentanyl – under federal law. “Marijuana is considered as dangerous as heroin and more dangerous than fentanyl, which is absurd, not to mention patently unfair,” Harris said during a roundtable on the administration’s plans for cannabis reform. The administration began the process of reconsidering how marijuana is treated under federal law just before the midterms in 2022. Andy Beshear - and alluded to her own role in what she described as an unequal criminal justice system. Harris’ own feelings on marijuana reform have evolved in line with her career.

Persons: Kamala Harris, ” Harris, “ I’m, Biden, Harris, Joe Biden, Xavier Becerra, Fat Joe, Andy Beshear, ”, “, ” Biden, Bill Clinton’s, CNN’s Holmes Lybrand, Kevin Liptak Organizations: Washington CNN —, White, Black, Democratic, US Health, Human Services, Kentucky Gov, Union, Los Angeles Times Locations: California, Francisco’s

☆ Why UnitedHealth, Change Healthcare were targeted by ransomware hackers, and more cybercrime will hit patients, doctors
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Susan Caminiti | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The ransomware attack on UnitedHealth's Change Healthcare subsidiary last month not only brought to light how attractive the data-rich U.S. health-care industry is to hackers and how devastating the consequences for patients and doctors, but also how sophisticated cyber criminals are becoming when targeting vulnerable sectors. Change Healthcare is the largest clearinghouse for insurance billing and payments in the U.S. Since the February 21 attack, the thousands of doctors, hospitals and other health providers that depend on Change Healthcare for billing reimbursements have not been paid as the company works to bring its systems back online. UnitedHealth told CNBC in a statement that it will cooperate with the investigation from the OCR. "Our immediate focus is to restore our systems, protect data and support those whose data may have been impacted," the company said.

Persons: UnitedHealth, Sumedh Thakar, Qualys, it's Organizations: Change Healthcare, U.S . Department of Health, Human Services, HHS, Civil Rights, CNBC Locations: U.S

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris and rapper Fat Joe led a White House discussion Friday on easing marijuana penalties, with Harris saying it’s “absurd” that the federal government classifies marijuana as more dangerous than fentanyl, the synthetic opioid blamed for tens of thousands of deaths annually the United States. Fat Joe, a Grammy-nominated artist and philanthropist whose real name is Joseph Cartagena, moderated a subsequent closed-door discussion that included Kentucky Gov. President Joe Biden has issued pardons to thousands of people for federal marijuana possession and commuted long sentences handed down for nonviolent drug offenses. “Marijuana is considered as dangerous as heroin and more dangerous than fentanyl, which is absurd. Cartagena opened the roundtable by saying he's hot on the issue of price transparency in health care “but, today, when the vice president calls me, I stop everything."

Persons: Kamala Harris, Joe, Harris, it’s, Joseph Cartagena, Andy Beshear, Joe Biden, Beshear, Biden, “, ”, ” Biden Organizations: WASHINGTON, —, Kentucky Gov, Gallup, of Health, Human Services, Justice, Drug Locations: United States, California, Kentucky, U.S, America . U.S, Milwaukee, Cartagena

☆ Health and Human Services Department opens probe into hack at UnitedHealth’s Change Healthcare
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailHealth and Human Services Department opens probe into hack at UnitedHealth’s Change HealthcareCNBC's Bertha Coombs joins 'The Exchange' to report the latest on United Health Group's cybersecurity hack.

Persons: Bertha Coombs, United Health Group's Organizations: Health, Human Services Department, United Health

☆ Biden administration investigating Change Healthcare cyberattack as disruptions continue
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Ashley Capoot | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The OCR enforces the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act's security, privacy and breach notification rules, which most health plans, providers and clearinghouses such as Change Healthcare are required to follow to protect health information. "OCR's investigation of Change Healthcare and UHG will focus on whether a breach of protected health information occurred and Change Healthcare's and UHG's compliance with the HIPAA Rules," the department said. Change Healthcare offers electronic prescription software and tools for payment and revenue cycle management. Parent company UnitedHealth discovered that a cyber threat actor breached part of the unit's information technology network on Feb. 21, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. In late February, Change Healthcare said that ransomware group Blackcat was behind the attack.

Persons: UnitedHealth, Blackcat Organizations: U.S . Department of Health, Human Services, UnitedHealth Group, Healthcare, U.S, HHS, Civil Rights, Change Healthcare, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, CNBC, SEC, Department of Justice

☆ Small practices are struggling to stay afloat 3 weeks after the cyberattack that crippled the US healthcare industry
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

It's been three weeks since a cyberattack on an under-the-radar but critical technology company caused the payments that flow between healthcare providers and insurers to grind to a halt nationwide. The US healthcare system has been crippled by the cyberattack on Change Healthcare, the company owned by UnitedHealth Group that connects healthcare providers and pharmacies to insurers and facilitates 15 billion transactions each year. And some patients can't afford their prescriptions because pharmacies can't process drug coupons. For many healthcare providers, UnitedHealth and the federal government's response to the ongoing crisis has fallen short. Industry groups including the American Hospital Association and American Medical Association urged the federal government to provide emergency financial support to healthcare providers.

Persons: It's, Sarah von Colditz, Von Colditz, she's, von Colditz, greenlit, UnitedHealth, it's, Kate Ecke, wasn't, Ecke, I've, Optum, Keely Helmick, CareOregon, She's, Helmick, I'm, Brittany Goff, she'd, hasn't, Goff, we're, they've, Tiffany Kettermann, Kettermann Organizations: Business, Healthcare, UnitedHealth Group, US Justice Department, American Hospital Association, American Medical Association, US Health, Human Services Department, Unconventional, HHS, Zen Psychological, Health Allies, Covid Locations: Astoria , Oregon, New Jersey, Portland , Oregon, Maryland, Shoreline

☆ Biden officials press health care giant to get emergency funding flowing to providers following cyberattack
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Senior Biden administration officials on Tuesday pressed the CEO of health care giant UnitedHealth Group and other health care firms to do more to get vital payments flowing to health care providers three weeks after a cyberattack crippled those payment systems, sources familiar with the meeting told CNN. The meeting featured Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, senior White House officials, and Andrew Witty, the CEO of UnitedHealth Group, whose subsidiary Change Healthcare was hit by a cyberattack last month, the sources said. The ransomware attack prevented some insurance payments on prescription drugs from processing, leaving many care providers footing the bill up front and hoping to get reimbursed. Some health care providers have lost more than $100 million per day because of the outage, one industry analyst previously told CNN. But the financial wreckage caused by the cyberattack will take a lot longer to clean up, health providers and analysts say.

Persons: CNN —, Xavier Becerra, Andrew Organizations: CNN, Biden, UnitedHealth, Human Services, White House, Healthcare, White, National Security, Department of Health, Washington Post, Change Healthcare

☆ Premarket stocks: What customers are telling banks they care about in this election year
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Fears about the health of the real estate market, and a confusing economic landscape, leave commercial banks questioning what comes next. The commercial real estate market is definitely under some pressure because of the rising rate environment. So I think banks are watching all that closely and working closely with regulators. How long do you think commercial real estate woes will weigh on banks? It definitely persists, and it depends on the banks’ weighting of real estate as a percentage of their portfolio.

Persons: New York CNN — It’s, Bell, Chris Giamo, we’ll, They’re, It’s, That’s, Philip Wang, —, Xavier Becerra, Julie Su, Eva Rothenberg Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, Silicon Valley Bank, TD Bank, Sunday, Healthcare, UnitedHealth, CNN, Human Services, Labor Locations: New York, Silicon, United States, Canada

☆ Factbox-Fewer Submarines, More Police Detectives: Highlights of Biden's Budget
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( March | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

Here are highlights of the proposal:IMMIGRATIONThe proposal includes an increase in funding for immigration-related spending as polling shows voters concerned about U.S.-Mexico border crossings by undocumented migrants. DEFENSEBiden's $895 billion national security budget calls for fewer stealthy F-35 fighter jets and Virginia-class submarines, first reported by Reuters, after a meager 1% increase allowed under caps agreed with Republicans last year left fewer than expected funds. Biden also renewed his demand for funding on border security, Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan and other national security issues that has been stalled by Republican congressional leadership for months. CRIMEThe budget allocates $1.2 billion over five years in a new violent crime reduction and prevention fund to support law enforcement agencies, helping them hire new detectives to solve homicides, expand fentanyl seizures and hire prosecutors and forensic specialists. The forecasts were set in November, and officials said the figures would be more optimistic if they were fixed today.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Trevor Hunnicutt, Ahmed Aboulenein, Ted Hesson, Leah Douglas, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: WASHINGTON, Border Patrol, Reuters, Republican, Department of Health, Human Services, Department, Agriculture, Women, Federal Reserve Locations: Mexico, Virginia, Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan, U.S

☆ ‘We’re hemorrhaging money’: US health clinics try to stay open after unprecedented cyberattack
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —For more than two weeks, a cyberattack has disrupted business at health care providers across the United States, forcing small clinics to scramble to stay in business and exposing the fragility of the billing system that underpins American health care. It prevented some insurance payments on prescription drugs from processing, leaving many care providers effectively footing the bill without reimbursement. Health care groups have pleaded with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to offer medical practices a financial lifeline. A week ago, Change Healthcare announced plans for a temporary loan program to get money flowing to health care providers affected by the outage. Tyler Mason, a spokesperson for Change Healthcare, declined to comment when asked if the company had paid off the hackers.

Persons: ”, Catherine Reinheimer, Mel Davies, ” Jesse Ehrenfeld, Reinheimer, Richard Pollack, Carter Groome, ” Groome, Tyler Mason, ALPHV, ” Ari Redbord, Joshua Corman, Corman, “ Organizations: CNN, Change Healthcare, Health, Department of Health, Human Services, Oregon Oncology, Healthcare, American Medical Association, US, Medical Group Management Association, Community Oncology Alliance, American Hospital Association, Justice Department, ALPHV, Labs Locations: United States, Philadelphia, UnitedHealth, Oregon

☆ Opinion | How America’s Two Abortion Realities Are Clashing
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( The Ezra Klein Show | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +65 min

mary zieglerWell, I think it’s much easier to ban abortion than it is to enforce a criminal law against abortion. mary zieglerNo, I think that’s right. If our abortion politics don’t reflect our abortion views, what does that tell us about the health of the democracy? We’ve seen upwards of 10 states — I think it’s 14 or 15 that have changed their definition of abortion in abortion restrictive states since Dobbs. So, the idea is that abortions that are presented as life saving either are not abortions or are simply pretexts for abortion that’s elective.

Persons: ezra klein, Ezra Klein, ”, overturns Roe, Wade, we’ve, Dobbs, Mary Ziegler, mary ziegler, Roe, they’ve, they’re, didn’t, isn’t, —, We’ve, ezra klein Let’s, mifepristone, Z, They’re, mary ziegler That’s, Comstock, hasn’t, it’s, ezra klein There’s, Kate Cox, kate cox, mary ziegler —, she’d, there’s, you’ll, don’t, you’re, You’re, That’s, I’ve, I’m, they’ll, Ezra, you’ve, that’s, There’s, what’s, Joe Biden, Bill Clinton, You’ve, It’s, Lindsey Graham, Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, Trump, mary ziegler There’s, Glenn Youngkin, Glenn Youngkin’s, mary ziegler It’s, we’re, Donald Trump, Roger Severino, Gene Hamilton, Hamilton isn’t, He’s, Stephen Miller’s, Jonathan Mitchell, Biden, — there’s, Josh Prager’s, Jennifer Holland, Daniel K, Williams, Wade ”, Linda Greenhouse, Reva Siegel, ezra klein Mary Ziegler Organizations: New York, Alabama, Republican, U.S, Supreme, for Life, Environmental Protection Agency, mifepristone, and Drug Administration, Republicans, State, Washington State Patrol, Democratic, Catholic Democrat, Wall Street, Act, Virginia Republicans, Republican Party, Leadership, Heritage Foundation, Health, Human Services Department, Trump, Washington Post, New York Times, HHS, Human Services, Department of Justice, Court Locations: Alabama, America, St, Louis , Missouri, East St, Louis , Illinois, Dobbs, Ohio, United States, Texas, mary ziegler — Texas, Kansas, Austin, Houston, Dallas, Florida, Miami, Jacksonville, Tampa, New York, California, Vermont, New Jersey, Missouri, Idaho, Virginia, Colorado, Roe

9 to 0 — I’m going to say that again — 9 to 0, ruled that states can’t keep Donald Trump off their ballots. It’s how — Trump has said to his loyalists, I am your retribution, so maybe we should just look at this as a blueprint for retribution. He’s going to end up — when he gives his big convention speech, he’s going to end up making promises on economic policy, domestic policy, and so on. ross douthatSo here’s why I’m sort of — Carlos, especially to your point — like, trying to focus us on the sharpest possible conflicts. But if most of the country’s political and emotional energy is instead focused on Trump himself, rather than real, actual debates, then I think Trump is winning, period, and the country is losing.

Persons: carlos lozada, polgreen Wow, ross douthat, lydia polgreen, Kiefer Sutherland, carlos lozada Totally, michelle cottle Perfect, lydia polgreen You’re, Kiefer, I’m Ross Douthat, michelle cottle I’m Michelle Cottle, carlos lozada I’m Carlos Lozada, Lydia Polgreen, michelle cottle Chin, Biden, lydia polgreen It’s, —, can’t, Donald Trump, Grover Cleveland, michelle cottle, Jesus, Donald Trump’s, Carlos Lozada, it’s, Carlos, ross, carlos lozada You, “, Trump, Nikki Haley, carlos lozada Yes, He’s, United States — carlos lozada, carlos lozada Harold Meyerson, ”, Harold — carlos lozada —, michelle cottle —, — Trump, Trumpism, lydia polgreen Trump, carlos lozada —, part’s, michelle cottle You’re, Lydia, let’s, Michelle, — ross douthat Michelle, michelle cottle Oh, Hillary Clinton, — ross, lydia polgreen Get, michelle cottle Mexico’s, Mike Shear, Julie Davis’s, ” ross douthat, carlos lozada Michelle, michelle cottle I’m, George Floyd, I’m — ross, polgreen, I’m, — michelle cottle, he’s, lydia polgreen I’m, Dobbs, ross douthat Carlos, we’ve, unquote, carlos lozada Well, carlos lozada He’s, — carlos lozada Boo, Matt Iglesias, That’ll, that’ll, Peter Navarro, doesn’t, there’ll, lydia polgreen There’ll, carlos lozada Ross, there’s, ” michelle cottle, lydia polgreen Couldn’t, John Roberts, Peter Baker, Susan Glasser’s, Maggie Haberman’s, — michelle cottle Beat, ross douthat —, It’s, Asli Aydintasbas, she’s, Ross, Viktor Orbán, Joe Biden, ideologues, ross douthat Lydia, — carlos lozada, ross douthat Go, nope — ross, Miley Cyrus, it’s Truman, I’ve, lydia polgreen There’s, Bilbo, Martin Freeman, michelle cottle Big, michelle cottle Carlos, We’ve, carlos lozada You’re, We’ll, lydia polgreen Bye Organizations: New York, Republican, New York Times, Siena College, Trump, Heritage Foundation, Leadership, GOP, Republicans, HHS, Department of Health, Human Services, Department of Life, CDC, Department of Justice, Justice Department, National Guard, of Homeland Security, Democrats, Politico, America, United States Constitution, Swans, East, Brooklyn, Northwest Missouri State University, carlos lozada Business Locations: New, America, Douthat, ”, Washington, United States, lydia polgreen Get Mexico, Francisco, China, Turkish, Turkey, Manhattan, Brooklyn

☆ Free COVID Test Orders to End on March 8
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( March | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Robin Foster HealthDay ReporterHealthDayWEDNESDAY, March 6, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Americans will not be able to order free at-home COVID tests after Friday, U.S. health officials announced Tuesday. Households across the country have been able to order four free rapid antigen tests through COVID.gov. The federal government previously suspended the free rapid test program last May after the public health emergency of the pandemic was officially ended. The CDC recommends that people test if they have any COVID symptoms including a sore throat, a runny nose, loss of smell or taste or a fever. More informationVisit the CDC for more on COVID testing.

Persons: Robin Foster HealthDay, “ ASPR, haven't Organizations: Administration, Strategic Preparedness, U.S . Department of Health, Human Services, CNN, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, CDC Locations: U.S

☆ Cyberattack Paralyzes the Largest U.S. Health Care Payment System
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Reed Abelson | Julie Creswell | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

An urgent care chain in Ohio may be forced to stop paying rent and other bills to cover salaries. In Florida, a cancer center is racing to find money for chemotherapy drugs to avoid delaying critical treatments for its patients. These are just a few examples of the severe cash squeeze facing medical care providers — from large hospital networks to the smallest of clinics — in the aftermath of a cyberattack two weeks ago that paralyzed the largest U.S. billing and payment system in the country. They also urged health insurers to waive or relax the much-criticized rules imposing prior authorization that have become impediments to receiving care. And they recommended that insurers offering private Medicare plans also supply advanced funding.

Organizations: Change Healthcare, UnitedHealth, Human Services Department Locations: Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania

The ramifications of a cyberattack on a critical health care technology company are still being felt across the U.S. nearly two weeks later. Change Healthcare has acknowledged the hack, which reportedly affected billing and care authorization portals. “Our experts are working to address the matter, and we are working closely with law enforcement and leading third-party consultants such as Mandiant and Palo Alto Networks on this attack against Change Healthcare’s systems,” Change Healthcare said. “On Feb. 21, 2024, we discovered a threat actor gained access to one of our Change Healthcare environments,” Change Healthcare said. A spokesperson affiliated with Change Healthcare declined to answer whether a ransom has been paid, according to Wired.

Persons: paychecks, Chuck Schumer, Jesse Ehrenfeld, Rick Pollack, “, ”, Schumer, ” Schumer, Pollack Organizations: Healthcare, Palo Alto Networks, New, American Medical Association, Department of Health, Human Services, American Hospital Association, HHS, AHA, UnitedHealth Group, The Washington Post, Justice Department, Health, Medicare, Medicaid Services, Wired, Change Healthcare Locations: U.S, Palo, New York, Optum

☆ Continuing resolutions are a silly way to run a government, but we do it every year
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-02 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

October 1 has been the official kickoff date for the federal fiscal year since 1977. Lawmakers have passed at least one continuing resolution in all but three of the years in the nearly half-century since. Instead, they will wrap the spending bills into larger packages – frequently called an “omnibus” that is passed in December or later. In 1997, for instance, there was no CR, but the spending bills were all passed together as an omnibus. Don’t hold your breath for them to get the 2025 spending bills done on time.

Persons: ”, Joe Biden, haven’t, Maya MacGuineas, CNN’s Tami Luhby, arrearages, Biden, What’s, Mike Johnson Organizations: CNN, CRs, Journalists, Senate, Lawmakers, Congressional Research Service, GAO, Federal, WIC, Budget, Low Income, Energy Assistance, National Energy Assistance, Association, Partnership for Public Service, Democratic, Capitol Hill, Agriculture, FDA, Commerce, Justice, Science, Energy, Water, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, Housing, Urban Development, Defense, Financial Services, General Government, Homeland Security, Labor, Health, Human Services, Foreign Locations: Washington, State

☆ Health insurance giant roiled by cyberattack sets up loan program for cash-strapped health providers
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Change Healthcare, the health insurance IT giant disrupted for days by a cyberattack, on Friday announced plans for a temporary loan program to get money flowing to health care providers affected by the outage. It’s a stop-gap measure meant to give some financial relief to health care providers, which analysts say are losing millions of dollars per day because of the outage. Some US officials and health care executives told CNN it may be weeks before Change Healthcare returns to normal operations. The temporary loan program will help health care providers with “short-term cash flow needs,” Change Healthcare said in a statement. A unit of healthcare conglomerate UnitedHealth, Change Healthcare processes prescriptions to insurance for tens of thousands of pharmacies nationwide.

Persons: ” Carter Groome Organizations: CNN, Friday, Healthcare, White, Health, Human Services, Senior, American Hospital Association, First Health, Justice Department Locations: Maryland, Michigan

☆ Judge rejects AstraZeneca’s challenge to Medicare drug price negotiations
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A federal judge on Friday rejected AstraZeneca 's legal challenge to Medicare's new power to negotiate the prices of certain costly prescription drugs with manufacturers. The decision is another win for the Biden administration in a bitter legal fight with the pharmaceutical industry over the constitutionality of those price talks. The opportunity to sell drugs to more than 49 million Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries is a "powerful incentive" for manufacturers to participate in the price talks with the government, Connolly wrote. The ruling comes a month after a federal judge in Texas tossed a separate lawsuit challenging the price talks. On March 7, Bristol Myers Squibb, Novo Nordisk, Novartis and Johnson & Johnson will present their oral arguments to a federal judge in New Jersey in the same hearing.

Persons: AstraZeneca, Biden, AstraZeneca's, Colm Connolly, Connolly, Johnson Organizations: U.S . Department of Health, Human Services, Washington , D.C, Manufacturers, Supreme, District, AstraZeneca, Chamber of Commerce, Bristol Myers Squibb, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Johnson, CNBC PRO Locations: Washington ,, Delaware, Texas, Ohio, New Jersey

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