Policy & Compliance
-
July 01, 2024
Ill., Northshore Say Anti-Vax Case Not About Religious Liberty
A nurse working for a Northshore Health unit in Illinois should be permanently blocked from pursuing employment deprivation claims over her initial denial of a COVD-19 religious vaccine exemption, the health facility said, arguing she is using a state conscience law as a "sword" against COVID-19 protections.
-
July 01, 2024
House Republicans Call For ACA Enrollment Probe
Three House Republican committee chairs are asking government watchdogs to investigate Affordable Care Act enrollments after a third-party report alleged a significant number of Americans are fraudulently accessing low-income healthcare subsidies.
-
July 01, 2024
NC Doctor Takes Abortion Drug Limits Fight To 4th Circ.
A North Carolina doctor who challenged the state's restrictions on abortion drug mifepristone asked the Fourth Circuit to review a district court's decision to allow certain limits to stand.
-
July 01, 2024
Jury Sides With Amazon In Suit Over Post-Surgery Leave
Amazon didn't have to give a former employee additional time off after gum disease surgery because she wasn't entitled to medical leave and didn't have a disability under federal law, a Florida federal jury found as it sided with the company.
-
June 28, 2024
Chevron's End Is Just The Start For Energized Agency Foes
By knocking down a powerful precedent that has towered over administrative law for 40 years, the U.S. Supreme Court's right wing Friday gave a crowning achievement to anti-agency attorneys. But for those attorneys, the achievement is merely a means to an end, and experts expect a litigation blitzkrieg to materialize quickly in the aftermath.
-
June 28, 2024
Texas Justices Back Ban On Gender Affirming Care For Minors
The Texas Supreme Court upheld a state ban on medical treatments that affirm the gender identity of transgender youths, saying Friday that the legislature "made a permissible, rational policy choice," though a dissenting justice said the court allowed the state "to legislate away fundamental parental rights."
-
June 28, 2024
In Chevron Case, Justices Trade One Unknown For Another
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overrule a decades-old judicial deference doctrine may cause the "eternal fog of uncertainty" surrounding federal agency actions to dissipate and level the playing field in challenges of government policies, but lawyers warn it raises new questions over what rules courts must follow and how judges will implement them.
-
June 28, 2024
Ontrak Exec Conviction Shows Trading Plans Aren't Shields
Executives who use so-called Rule 10b5-1 trading plans to buy and sell shares of their company's stock don't have an automatic shield against insider trading charges, attorneys said following the first criminal conviction of an executive based exclusively on his use of the plans, which are facing increased scrutiny from financial regulators.
-
June 28, 2024
Health Regulators Likely To Tread Carefully Post-Chevron
The demise of Chevron deference at the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday will likely encourage or fortify challenges to agency rulemaking on matters of health policy in the U.S., from Medicare reimbursement decisions to FDA rules on laboratory-developed tests.
-
June 28, 2024
Shifting Legal Positions Behind High Court Abortion Punt
Rapid developments in Idaho abortion law paved the way for a fractured U.S. Supreme Court decision that leaves doctors in the state in murky legal waters around providing abortions to patients in medical crisis.
-
June 28, 2024
Iowa Supreme Court Approves 6-Week Abortion Ban
The Iowa Supreme Court narrowly ruled Friday that the state can enforce a law restricting abortion after about six weeks of pregnancy, finding the state has a "legitimate interest in protecting unborn life," according to the majority opinion.
-
June 28, 2024
Supreme Court Strikes Down Chevron Deference
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday overturned a decades-old precedent that instructed judges about when they could defer to federal agencies' interpretations of law in rulemaking, depriving courts of a commonly used analytic tool and leaving lots of questions about what comes next.
-
June 27, 2024
Texas DAs Escape Defendant Class Cert. In Abortion Case
A Texas federal judge on Wednesday rejected a bid to force state prosecutors to become a certified class of defendants in a suit aimed to curb retaliation against advocates who help women get an abortion outside the state, saying there was no risk of varying adjudications.
-
June 27, 2024
Rape Kit Co. Wants Wash. Ban Lifted During Free Speech Suit
A company that sells self-administered sexual assault DNA collection kits is urging a Washington federal judge to stop the enforcement of a new state law that it claims stifles its First Amendment rights by barring the marketing of its kits as an alternative to resources offered by law enforcement and the government.
-
June 27, 2024
ACLU Says Mich. Can't Ban Medicaid Coverage Of Abortions
The American Civil Liberties Union on Thursday lodged a suit challenging a Michigan law barring Medicaid coverage of abortions, claiming that the ban is a violation of the state constitution's newly enacted right to reproductive freedom.
-
June 27, 2024
EU High Court Upends Servier Decrease Of Pay-For-Delay Fine
French pharmaceutical giant Servier is back on the hook for all but €2.4 million ($2.57 million) of a more than €300 million European Union antitrust fine after the European Court of Justice upended a lower court decision that had reduced the penalty by over €100 million.
-
June 27, 2024
Hospitals' Charity Care Does Not Equal Taking, NJ Panel Rules
A New Jersey appellate panel Thursday rejected a group of Garden State hospitals' challenge to a lower court's finding that a state requirement to treat patients regardless of the patient's ability to pay does not amount to constitutional taking, ruling that they failed to show evidence of physical taking of hospital property.
-
June 27, 2024
6th Circ. Dismisses Doctors' ACA Trans Healthcare Appeal
The Sixth Circuit dismissed on Thursday an appeal from a group of doctors attempting to block the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from enforcing prohibitions on gender-identity discrimination under the Affordable Care Act, finding subsequent agency action overruled the doctors' claims.
-
June 26, 2024
Moms For America Sues Biden Admin Over Vax Liability Law
Conservative nonprofit Moms for America has sued the Biden administration over a law that shields companies from COVID-19 vaccine injury lawsuits, saying the law is unconstitutional because it circumvents judicial review and violates fundamental rights, including due process and trial by jury.
-
June 26, 2024
Justices Chide 5th Circ. In Biden Social Media Case
The Fifth Circuit relied on "clearly erroneous" facts and an overgeneralized view of standing when it ordered the Biden administration to stop working with social media platforms to combat COVID-19 and election misinformation, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Wednesday as it threw out a challenge to the government's actions.
-
June 26, 2024
Device Maker To Fork Over $3.5M In Tax Dodge Suit
A man who manufactured a purported health device will pay the IRS nearly $3.5 million under an agreement endorsed by a Florida federal court after the agency claimed he hadn't filed a tax return since 1999.
-
June 26, 2024
Nurses Say Mich. Hospitals Owe OT For Meal Break Work
Two locations of a Michigan healthcare system unlawfully require employees to work through their meal breaks without pay in violation of federal wage law, according to two separate proposed collective actions filed in federal court.
-
June 26, 2024
Feds' 5th Circ. Win On Preventive Care May Imperil ACA
The Fifth Circuit's decision to knock out a national injunction against preventive services coverage requirements under the Affordable Care Act left healthcare advocates breathing a sigh of relief, but attorneys say even more of those requirements may be on the chopping block.
-
June 26, 2024
High Court 'Inadvertently' Posts Order Punting Abortion Case
The U.S. Supreme Court mistakenly released a draft order Wednesday that would allow emergency abortions in Idaho, with a majority saying the court was wrong to consider a state challenge at this time.
-
June 26, 2024
High Court Axes Challenge To Biden Admin's Social Media Work
The U.S. Supreme Court wiped out a Fifth Circuit order prohibiting the Biden administration and several federal agencies from working with social media platforms to combat the spread of misinformation Wednesday, finding the states and individuals challenging the collaboration don't have standing to sue.
Expert Analysis
-
What An NCAA Drug Test Change Could Mean For Cannabis
If the NCAA follows through with its decision to remove cannabis from its banned list of substances, it will affect college athletes, athletic directors, public relations employees, and marketing departments at universities and colleges, and it will have a significant economic effect on the cannabis industry, say Stanley Jutkowitz and Sydney Jenkins at Seyfarth.
-
When Calif. Health Shield Law Reaches Beyond State Borders
In light of California's newly signed shield law to increase protections for reproductive health and gender-affirming care, it's important to understand how the law's covered services and key legal protections could affect patients and providers nationwide, says Natalie Birnbaum at Nelson Hardiman.
-
FDA's Lab-Developed Test Rule Faces High Hurdles
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recently announced plans to explicitly regulate lab-developed tests will likely face resistance from industry stakeholders and congressional actions, and lead to significant litigation, say attorneys at Hogan Lovells.
-
FTC's Health Co. Suit Indicates Agency's Private Equity Focus
The Federal Trade Commission's latest lawsuit against an anesthesia company and its private equity investor highlights the agency's willingness to regulate the health care industry even when relevant acquisitions are relatively dated or when the controlling entity's economic interest is under 50%, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.
-
What Marijuana Status Change Would Mean For Industry
If the Drug Enforcement Administration accepts the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ recent recommendation to change marijuana’s classification under federal law, it would be a significant regulatory shift that could foster many industry benefits — but questions, risks and uncertainties at both the state and federal levels would remain, say attorneys at Neal Gerber.
-
Top 4 Antitrust Enforcement Issues In Health Care Today
The Federal Trade Commission's recent lawsuit against U.S. Anesthesia Partners exemplifies antitrust enforcement authorities' efforts to aggressively reshape the health care industry, ranging from new proposed rules to withdrawals of previous guidance, say attorneys at Fried Frank.
-
Calif. Climate Disclosure Bills Promise Challenges For Cos.
Two novel climate disclosure bills recently passed by the California Legislature will pose challenges for many businesses — especially private companies that are less familiar with climate-related reporting obligations — and will require investments of significant time and effort in processes, procedures and personnel, say John Rousakis and Chris Bowman at O'Melveny.
-
Maximizing Law Firm Profitability In Uncertain Times
As threats of an economic downturn loom, firms can boost profits by embracing the power of bottom-line management and creating an ecosystem where strategic financial oversight and robust timekeeping practices meet evolved client relations, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.
-
5th Circ. Ruling Reminds Attys That CBP Can Search Devices
The Fifth Circuit’s recent Malik v. Department of Homeland Security decision adds to the chorus of federal courts holding that border agents don’t need a warrant to search travelers’ electronic devices, so attorneys should consider certain special precautions to secure privileged information when reentering the U.S., says Jennifer Freel at Jackson Walker.
-
ESG Around The World: European Union
As the EU makes ESG regulation a priority, companies — both those based in the EU and others just doing business there — need to keep abreast of myriad new legislation that has either already taken effect or will in the near future, as noncompliance could result in fines, damages and director liability, say attorneys at Steptoe & Johnson.
-
Avoiding The Ethical Pitfalls Of Crowdfunded Legal Fees
The crowdfunding of legal fees has become increasingly common, providing a new way for people to afford legal services, but attorneys who accept crowdsourced funds must remember several key ethical obligations to mitigate their risks, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.
-
4 Pharma Industry Arguments Against CMS Drug Pricing Plan
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is facing significant pushback regarding its plans for implementing the Inflation Reduction Act's Medicare drug price negotiation program, due to a number of potential repercussions for manufacturers, say attorneys at Mintz Levin.
-
Issues Ahead As Psychedelic Medicine Faces Pivotal Moment
Recent regulatory changes and decriminalization efforts have opened doors for research and development in psychedelic medicine, but challenges like stigma, access and funding persist, meaning companies will need to address these issues to support the industry’s credibility, say consultants at FTI Consulting.