Healthcare Just Became a Bigger National Cyber Priority: What That Means for You
TL;DR
Congress just made your cybersecurity posture a national security concern. The Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2025 is the strongest move yet to lock down healthcare’s digital infrastructure. Expect new coordination, possible “high-risk” designations, and a federal microscope on your PHI systems. Here’s what the bill means and how to prepare before your platform ends up on a federal watch list.
The big shift: healthcare is now critical cyber infrastructure
Last week, bipartisan bill were re-introduced in both the House and Senate, aiming to make healthcare cybersecurity a national priority.
It’s no mystery why.
Just look at the numbers:
In 2023, breaches exposed the PHI of 172 million people.
In 2024, that jumped to 278 million individuals affected.
The Change Healthcare ransomware attack alone compromised an estimated 190 million records and froze revenue cycles nationwide.
And it’s getting worse.
Between 2018 and 2022, large cyber breaches in healthcare systems rose 93%.
Breaches of unsecured PHI jumped 107% in that same window.
Patient data is the new crown jewels.
Which means your patient portal, EHR, telehealth, and billing API products just got pulled into the same critical infrastructure playbook as power grids and pipelines.
If you’re wondering how your existing compliance program stacks up, our HIPAA Exposure Guide is a quick way to see if you’d survive this new level of scrutiny.
What’s in the new bill?
The Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2025 does more than wave a flag.
Here’s what it means for you:
✅ Formal coordination between CISA and HHS
Your cyber readiness is no longer just your own risk.
It’s now a matter for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
✅ Dedicated cybersecurity liaisons for healthcare
Expect more direct outreach, technical audits, and recommendations that most likely will directly affect health tech platforms.
✅ A national risk management plan
Including special attention on rural, small, and mid-sized providers often the easiest breach targets.
✅ Potential designation as “high-risk covered assets”
Meaning your systems could get extra federal resources… but also far more oversight.
If you land on that list, your PHI ecosystem will likely be scrutinized like never before.
Why this matters to health tech
Here’s the honest reality.
Most health tech companies I work with built their HIPAA Compliance Program around a flagship product.
Their EHR integration.
Their patient portal.
Their telehealth platform.
But PHI doesn’t stay there, it's dynamic.
It flows through billing platforms, analytics dashboards, third-party CRMs, tracking APIs, and IoT devices.
If your security strategy wasn’t designed to protect all of that, you’re exposed.
Our HIPAA Exposure Guide is built to flag these issues including:
✅Unseen vendor risks
✅Tracking tech leaks
✅Outdated BAA lists
How to get ahead of it
Start with three tough questions:
Do you know everywhere PHI flows
Across all platforms, vendors, mobile, and LLM engines?
Do you have updated risk & gap assessments
Not from two years ago, from the last six months.
Could you prove your HIPAA posture tomorrow if HHS or CISA asked?
If not, now’s the time.
Let’s open this up
What’s your biggest worry with this new federal push?
Is it being labeled high-risk?
Or just the fear your compliance will slow down innovation?
Drop a comment.
