Security News > 2024 > March > Uncle Sam intervenes as Change Healthcare ransomware fiasco creates mayhem
The US government has stepped in to help hospitals and other healthcare providers affected by the Change Healthcare ransomware infection, offering more relaxed Medicare rules and urging advanced funding to providers.
Change, a UnitedHealth Group-owned IT services firm, provides software to more than 70,000 American pharmacies and healthcare organizations so they can electronically process insurance claims and fill prescription orders.
On Tuesday, the Department of Health and Human Services intervened to assist the healthcare industry and ensure that medical facilities can continue to provide patient care.
"It's such a supply chain issue, and it really reaches into the entire infrastructure around healthcare payments, which is really quite scary. It's really high risk to have half the transactions running through one provider."
Drama continues to play out in the orbit of ALPHV/BlackCat, the ransomware gang responsible for the attack on Change Healthcare.
After receiving more than $22 million in Bitcoin - in what may or may not have been a ransomware payment - the criminal group reportedly stole the money from its affiliate crew that attacked the healthcare IT provider.