Health Care — United Health CEO to face House panel

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View Online Health Care Health Care The Big Story  United Health CEO to face House panel  UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Witty will testify in front of a House oversight panel next month about the massive cyberattack on Change Healthcare, as Congress grapples with the fallout and lawmakers' response.   © iStock The May 1 hearing at the House Energy and Commerce oversight subcommittee will mark the first time Witty appears in the House. The panel's health subcommittee held a hearing this week about the hack, but no representatives from United testified.    "Americans are still dealing with the fallout of the Change Healthcare hack. Individuals and smaller providers, in particular, have struggled financially following the cyberattack, threatening critical access for patients," Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) and oversight subcommittee chair Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) said in a joint statement Friday.    "While we're disappointed that UnitedHealth could not join us for the recent Health Subcommittee hearing on cybersecurity, we look forward to learning more on what happened in the lead up to, and in the weeks following, the attack," the lawmakers said.    Change Healthcare is the country's largest medical claims processor, serving as a sort of clearinghouse of data for health insurers and providers. February's cyberattack sent shockwaves through the whole health industry, even halting operations at some clinics and hospitals. Billions of dollars in payments to providers were held up, and Change still hasn't fully recovered.    At the hearing this week, lawmakers expressed frustration that nobody from United, which acquired Change in 2022, attended. There was talk of a possible subpoena.     Witty is expected to testify soon before the Senate Finance Committee.  Welcome to The Hill's Health Care newsletter, we're Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. 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And in North Carolina, a woman gave birth in a car after an emergency … Full Story Around the Nation  Local and state headlines on health care: 'A broken system': Report identifies reasons behind long ER wait times in Maryland (Baltimore Sun)  Virginia kids are turning to ERs for mental health help (Axios)  In WA, it might soon be easier to get mental health help over the phone (The Seattle Times)  What We're Reading  Health news we've flagged from other outlets: Medical providers still grappling with UnitedHealth cyberattack: 'More devastating than Covid' (KFF Health News)  Medicare official says breakthrough device reimbursement rule coming in early summer (Stat)  Some pharmacists fear jail time over murky abortion laws (NBC News)  What Others are Reading  Most read stories on The Hill right now: NY AG asks Trump civil fraud judge to declare $175M bond 'without effect' The New York attorney general’s office has asked a judge to void the $175 million bond former President Trump secured to put off paying the larger … Read more Ocasio-Cortez, Tlaib criticize 'appalling' suspension of Omar's daughter at Columbia Democratic Reps. 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