Drug Delays, Skyrocketing Prices an Ongoing Effect of Massive Cyberattack

Frustrated patients in Michigan and around the country have had to pay out of pocket for medicine for chronic diseases and other illnesses or go without in the fallout from a cyberattack of a major health care company.

The tech company, Change Healthcare, has restored access to many of its systems in the weeks since the Feb. 21 attack announcement. However, some services remained down as of Thursday, March 21, including the system that processes discount/savings cards to bring down drug prices for patients.

Local pharmacists said for a while they couldn’t verify what a customer’s insurance would cover for their medication, or how much of a copay was necessary at the transaction point. Patients had the option of paying out of pocket and pursuing reimbursement later, if they could afford the up-front cost.