Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle used Wednesday’s congressional hearings on the Change Healthcare cyberattack to express their grievances against UnitedHealth Group. During the hearings, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) declared that it was time to break up UnitedHealth, while Representative Buddy Carter, a pharmacist and Republican from Georgia, brought out a posterboard depicting UnitedHealth and its many subsidiaries to highlight the company’s dominant presence in the country’s healthcare sector.
Representative Carter warned UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Witty that he would continue to work towards breaking up the company. Witty was the sole witness in both the Senate Finance and House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearings. Both senators and representatives used the hearings as a platform to criticize UnitedHealth Group’s control over the healthcare industry. The calls to break up the company reflect a growing concern among lawmakers about the consolidation of power in the healthcare sector and its impact on patients and consumers.
The hearings also shed light on the cybersecurity vulnerabilities of companies like Change Healthcare and highlighted the need for stronger regulations to protect sensitive patient data. Lawmakers are now under pressure to take action to prevent similar cyberattacks in the future and ensure the security of health care information that millions of Americans rely on.