Senator Rick Scott proposes ban on federal funds for Chinese medical devices

U.S. Senator Rick Scott has proposed a ban on federal healthcare funds, including Medicare and Medicaid, being used to purchase medical devices manufactured by Chinese companies. Scott argued that internet-connected equipment from China poses significant cybersecurity threats to hospital systems and sensitive patient information.

The proposal follows warnings from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regarding the Contec CMS8000 patient monitor and the relabelled Epsimed MN-120. Federal authorities identified vulnerabilities in these devices, noting they could be controlled remotely by unauthorized users, fail to function correctly, or contain a “backdoor” allowing actors to bypass security controls. The FDA reported that these monitors could transmit patient data outside the healthcare environment when connected to the internet.

In addition to the funding ban, Scott called for the phasing out of Chinese-made medical equipment from all facilities accepting federal funds and proposed that foreign medical-data espionage be made a criminal offense.