Nearly a month since the nationwide ransomware attack on UnitedHealthcare's services, affected healthcare providers will finally receive their compensations through a $2 billion
UnitedHealth Group, UnitedHealthcare's parent company, announced on Monday that it has already advanced the money to "assist care providers" as part of its ongoing "significant progress in restoring the services impacted by this cyberattack."
(Photo : UnitedHealthcare/UnitedHealth Group)
According to CNA, the healthcare giant is estimated to provide medicals software services to 900,000 physicians, 33,000 pharmacies, 5,500 hospitals, 600 laboratories.
Officials from the Department of Health and Human Services and UnitedHealth Group are currently reaching out to small independent businesses
UnitedHealth Group also announced that its technology unit, Change Healthcare, will be resuming its medical claims software this Monday and will be available to "thousands of customers."
The company said it has already restored 99% of Change Healthcare's pharmacy network services after it was hit by the cyberattack that took down the company's digital records for a week.
Also Read: UnitedHealthcare Online Portals Back Online After Ransomware Attack
US Healthcare Services Impacted by Growing Cyberattack Campaigns
The attack on Change Healthcare marks the growing number of cyberattacks on healthcare providers in the US as bad actors start employing more sophisticated methods to steal data.
Healthcare firms are common targets for major cyberattacks due to the sensitivity of the information of the store, making it easier for hackers to secure ransom money.
Reuters earlier reported that the company paid over $22 million to recover the stolen data before it was released to the public.
US officials have yet to launch a formal analysis on the impact of the cyberattack but estimates put the losses at billions of dollars.
Related Article: US Pharmacies Became Target of Nationwide Ransomware Attacks
How Will Change Healthcare Hack Affect Customers?
As of writing, UnitedHealthcare has not yet announced any changes in its charging fees following the cyberattack.
UnitedHealth, which provides services to over 152 million people in the US, is currently under scrutiny from Federal officials to secure its network services as healthcare becomes more expensive for regular Americans.
