Senate Passes Warner Legislation to Strengthen Cybersecurity in Health Care

WASHINGTON –U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and John Cornyn (R-TX) celebrated the U.S. Senate’s passage by unanimous consent of their Health Care Cybersecurity and Resiliency Act , legislation to protect Americans’ health data by strengthening cybersecurity. “Cyberattacks on our health care systems can have life-or-death consequences for patients and put the sensitive information of millions of Americans at risk,” said Sen. Warner. “I’m proud to have helped pass this critical legislation through the Senate, and I urge the House to act quickly. This bill will strengthen our cybersecurity, better protect patients and their information, and give rural health care providers in Virginia and across the country additional tools to defend against cyber threats.” “Cyberattacks can shut down hospitals and expose patients’ private medical records,” said Dr. Cassidy. “At a time when hostile actors are increasingly using sophisticated tactics to breach health care systems, the Health Care Cybersecurity and Resilience Act will help health care providers strengthen their defenses against cyber threats and protect patients’ health data.” “Cyberattacks have exposed patients’ private medical information and disrupted critical patient care in New Hampshire and across the country,” said Sen. Hassan. “This bipartisan legislation will help hospitals and health care providers, particularly those in rural communities with fewer resources, strengthen their cybersecurity and respond faster to attacks. I’m pleased to see that the Senate came together to pass this bill, and I’ll keep working across the aisle to protect patients and strengthen our health care system.” “Patients deserve absolute confidence that their sensitive medical data stored online is protected and shielded from cybersecurity breaches or ransomware attacks,” said Sen. Cornyn. “This legislation would strengthen interagency coordination and improve security practices for rural providers, ensuring Texans’ health care is not delayed or compromised by cyberattacks.” The Health Care Cybersecurity and Resiliency Act : Strengthens cybersecurity in the health care sector by authorizing grants to health entities to improve cyberattack prevention and response. Provides training to health entities on cybersecurity best practices. Supports rural communities by providing best practices to rural health clinics and other providers on cybersecurity breach prevention, resilience, and coordination with federal agencies. Improves coordination between the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to better respond to cyberattacks in the health care sector. Modernizes current regulations so entities covered under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) use the best cybersecurity practices. Requires the HHS Secretary to develop and implement a cybersecurity incident response plan. Read the full bill here . ###