Biden officials press health care giant to get emergency funding flowing to providers following cyberattack

Senior Biden administration officials have urged the CEO of UnitedHealth Group and other health care firms to expedite vital payments to health care providers following a cyberattack that disrupted payment systems. The meeting included Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, senior White House officials, and the CEO of UnitedHealth Group. Health care executives were asked to take additional actions to provide emergency funding to cash-strapped health practices facing potential closure due to the cyberattack. Change Healthcare, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, processes billions of transactions annually and serves numerous hospitals, insurers, and pharmacies nationwide. The ransomware attack has led to delayed insurance payments on prescription drugs and significant financial losses for health care providers. Change Healthcare aims to restore its electronic payment platform by March 15. However, the economic impact of the cyberattack may require a longer recovery period. Health providers and analysts predict a prolonged cleanup process.