U.S. health regulators urged insurers that administer government health plans to suspend some limits on care after a crippling cyberattack brought down networks that handle approval requests.
Private versions of Medicare and Medicaid should relax mandates for prior authorizations and other hurdles that can keep people from getting care, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday in a statement.
The move is the latest impact of a far-reaching hack that brought down UnitedHealth Group's Change Healthcare unit almost two weeks ago. The unit runs crucial networks that move data and payments throughout the health-care system, and the attack has meant growing backlogs throughout the industry, including delays at pharmacies and late payments for doctors.
UnitedHealth hasn't said when most of the network's services will be back online. HHS aims "to help coordinate efforts to avoid disruptions to care throughout the health care system," the agency said in a news release.
