Strengthening Cybersecurity in Health Care Act

S 3773, the "Strengthening Cybersecurity in Health Care Act," requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Inspector General (IG) to conduct regular cybersecurity evaluations of HHS systems handling sensitive health data, including Medicare numbers, every two years. These evaluations must test for vulnerabilities that could expose patient data or compromise patient safety. The bill mandates that the HHS Secretary and the IG submit detailed reports to Congress every two years, outlining planned cybersecurity updates and the IG’s current use of funds plus any additional funding or legislative changes needed for ongoing security testing. This bill directly affects HHS systems processing, transmitting, or storing mission-critical health data.