Oregon senator discusses fallout from Change Healthcare cyberattack, access to care in rural communities

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., expressed to AHA members frustration with the Change Healthcare cyberattack, which he believes jeopardized patients and their personal data. 

“It's not surprising that people weren't ready for it,” Wyden said. “The health care sector is a prime target for criminals and foreign adversaries like China and Russia. Here we've got middlemen companies, so large they control core functions in the health care system; they can dictate contract terms to health providers so that providers are locked into contracts with them. And you get into a situation where these operations are so big, there is a systemic cybersecurity risk. So, it's not surprising that people weren't ready for the attack on Change.”

Wyden also discussed the need to support rural hospitals to ensure access to care in those communities, as well as crack down on pharmacy benefit managers and their actions that are driving up the cost of prescription drugs.