New Healthcare Cybersecurity Bill Aimed at Protecting Private Data

Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Jason Crow (D-CO) introduced the Healthcare Cybersecurity Act to assist health providers in better responding to cyber threats.  The bipartisan bills were introduced in the House of Representatives and the Senate last week. The initiatives are designed to enhance coordination at the federal level, enabling government agencies to respond promptly to cyberattacks.

The Healthcare Cybersecurity Bill would require the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to collaborate on improving cybersecurity in both the healthcare and public health sectors, James Coker with Infosecurity Magazine reported. The bill also requires CISA and the HHS to conduct a study to identify the specific risks faced by the healthcare and public health (HPH) sector, Steve Alder with The HIPAA Journal wrote on June 16.

“Cyberattacks on our healthcare system endanger more than data — they put lives at risk. This bipartisan bill takes direct, strategic action: empowering CISA and HHS to coordinate real-time threat sharing, expanding cybersecurity training for providers, and establishing a dedicated liaison to bolster response,” Fitzpatrick said in a statement.

“We’re seeing rising evidence of cyberattacks against our healthcare systems,” Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) posted on X. “I’ve been raising the alarm about this for years – these novel threats have the potential to kneecap our hospitals and delay lifesaving care, and we need to be ready to face them.”