Pappas Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Strengthen Cybersecurity in Health Care Systems

Today Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) and Congresswoman Michelle Steel (CA-45) introduced the Strengthening Cybersecurity in Health Care Act. This bipartisan legislation would require consistent evaluations of the Department of Health and Human Services’ cybersecurity systems to help combat hacking crimes and keep Granite Staters’ personal health information safe. Senator Maggie Hassan (NH) is co-lead of the Senate companion bill.

“Recent attacks on health care systems have made it clear that strengthening our cybersecurity must be a top priority to safeguard personal health information and protect access to care,” said Congressman Pappas. “This bipartisan legislation will bolster cybersecurity and support needed improvements to protect health care systems, including patient data. Tackling cyberattacks is a bipartisan issue, and I will continue working with my colleagues across the aisle to pass this critical bill and strengthen our health care systems against future attacks.”

The full text of the bill is available here.

In March, following a major cyberattack in February that crippled Change Healthcare, Pappas joined Senate and House colleagues in calling on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to put forth a plan to help health care systems navigate this crisis and prevent future attacks.