Sw Louisiana News

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA) announced that, per reports, Change Healthcare, a segment of UnitedHealth Group, has restored much of its electronic payment system after a 3-week system outage due to a ransomware attack. Claims processing is expected to resume today, March 15, with a full system restoration phased in the next week.

In February, Change HealthCare publicly disclosed that it had been the victim of the most significant cyberattack on the U.S. health care system in American history. This attack severely impacted not only the health care industry but also millions of Americans who rely on the services provided by Change HealthCare. The organization is responsible for 15 billion health care transactions annually and touches 1 in every 3 patients’ records.

The culprit, ALPHV/BlackCat, demanded immediate financial compensation to restore services online. Unfortunately, various Veteran Homecare facilities and Small Business health care providers across South Louisiana were impacted by the attacks, leaving many organizations unable to process payments, receive prescriptions, and fill health claims.

"The cyber warfare that goes on around us, sight unseen, should concern everyone," said Congressman Higgins. "With cyberattacks becoming increasingly prevalent, we as a nation must make it a priority to focus on protecting our computer systems. Some of the most innovative ideas and products for cyber warfare originate from American startups and small businesses. We must harness their expertise to prevent, mitigate, and defend our country against cyberattacks. We cannot allow situations like Change Healthcare to impact the daily lives of hardworking Americans because our cyber developments are not up to speed and able to compete in the international marketplace."