Major Cyber Attack On United’s Change Healthcare
Change Healthcare announced a major cyber attack on its systems this week. The event shows how vulnerable major healthcare organizations can be. Change is owned by The United Health Group, granddaddy of insurance and owner of prominent service entity, Optum. Change rolls up to Optum.
The attack shows how far-reaching a successful penetration could be. Change is a vendor. It has various products and connects to health plans throughout the country. It also connects to providers and pharmacies throughout the country.
Change says the attacker was a nation-state associated cyber security threat actor. Little else is known about how far-reaching the attack was or the fallout yet.
Additional article here: https://www.modernhealthcare.com/cybersecurity/change-healthcare-outage-cyberattack-2024-update
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#cyberattacks #healthcare
Surge In Weight-Loss Drug Costs Troubles States
Interesting assessment of the surge in costs for weight-loss drugs in state employee health plans and Medicaid. Just sixteen Medicaid states cover such drugs and restrict access. GLP-1 weight-loss drugs surged in these Medicaid states from $124.4 million in 2019 to $1.1 billion in 2022.
State employee plans are revisiting coverage due to costs. North Carolina recently stopped coverage when it determined that costs for these drugs alone could be $174 million in 2024. Others are seeing surges too and could consider changes.
#weightlossdrugs #drugpricing
— Marc S. Ryan
