The U.S. Senate has passed bipartisan legislation co-sponsored by Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., aimed at strengthening cybersecurity protections for health care providers and patients’ medical information.
The Health Care Cybersecurity and Resilience Act passed by unanimous consent and now heads to the House of Representatives.
The legislation would authorize grants to health care organizations to improve their ability to prevent and respond to cyberattacks and provide cybersecurity training and best-practice guidance.
The measure includes provisions specifically intended to help rural health clinics and other providers prevent security breaches, improve their ability to respond to attacks and coordinate with federal agencies.
“Cyberattacks on our health care systems can have life-or-death consequences for patients and put the sensitive information of millions of Americans at risk,” Warner said. “I’m proud to have helped pass this critical legislation through the Senate, and I urge the House to act quickly.”
The legislation also would increase coordination between the Department of Health and Human Services and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency in responding to cyberattacks involving the health care sector.
It would require the HHS secretary to develop and implement a cybersecurity incident response plan and would update regulations affecting organizations covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA.
The bipartisan measure also was sponsored by Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La.; Maggie Hassan, D-N.H.; and John Cornyn, R-Texas.
