Bill Strengthens Health Care Cybersecurity

The U.S. Senate has advanced the bipartisan Health Care Cybersecurity and Resiliency Act of 2026, placing it on the legislative calendar under General Orders as Calendar No. 365. Sponsored by Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and cosponsors including Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and John Cornyn (R-TX), the bill cleared the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee on a 22-1 vote in February. Congress reports it mandates minimum cybersecurity standards for HIPAA-regulated entities, such as multifactor authentication, encryption of protected health information, and alignment with NIST frameworks.[1][6]

Introduced in December 2025, the legislation builds on lessons from the 2024 Change Healthcare cyberattack, which disrupted patient care nationwide and exposed vulnerabilities in the sector. Key provisions include a federal grant program for underserved providers like rural clinics, federally qualified health centers, and nonprofit hospitals to fund cybersecurity upgrades, plus HHS