Attack on UnitedHealth Group-owned company has had a broad, harmful impact. Company has faced criticism from medical providers for its response. This is an opportunity to step up.
The email from a Star Tribune reader had the word "Desperate" in the subject line. The author: Karin Olson, 76, of Richfield, who has Type 1 diabetes and depends on her Dexcom continuous glucose monitoring system to manage this serious condition.
Olson, a former registered nurse, recently found herself facing a potential care crisis through no fault of her own. The sensors on her Dexcom system are designed to last for up to 10 days before needing replacement, and monthly costs range from $440 to $470, according to GoodRx.com. Medicare typically covers the supplies she needs. But after a recent cyberattack on a medical claims-processing company acquired by Minnesota-based UnitedHealth Group in 2022, Olson couldn't get new sensors at her local Walgreens or anywhere else.