Policy & Compliance

  • February 27, 2026

    Credit Bureaus Fight Bid To Add Plaintiffs, Claims To Suit

    Medical providers and a collection agency in a proposed class action accusing Equifax, Experian and TransUnion of conspiring to exclude less than $500 in medical debt from consumer credit reports lack good cause to again amend their complaint, the credit reporting agencies told a federal court. 

  • February 27, 2026

    Judge Says RFK Jr.-Tied Group Can't Join Childhood Vax Suit

    A Massachusetts judge said an anti-vaccine advocacy group with ties to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cannot join a lawsuit over the federal government's new childhood vaccine schedule, a day after the government said it opposed the group intervening in the case.

  • February 27, 2026

    Minn. State Sens. Introduce Medical Psilocybin Bill

    A pair of Minnesota state senators have introduced a bill to create and regulate a medical psilocybin use program, which would allow residents over 21 with qualifying medical conditions to cultivate and use the drug to treat their conditions.

  • February 27, 2026

    121-Year-Old Ruling Still A Shot In The Arm For Vax Mandates

    Having already withstood five global pandemics, 21 presidencies and more than a century of developments in both the law and public health policy, the U.S. Supreme Court's most durable precedent blessing mandatory vaccination is well positioned to survive a new wave of challenges, experts say.

  • February 27, 2026

    NYC Health Center Sues HHS Over $31M Medicare Repayment

    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is unlawfully attempting to recoup more than $31 million in Medicare overpayments made during the COVID-19 pandemic, a New York City skilled nursing center told a federal court, saying it shouldn't have to repay the money.

  • February 27, 2026

    Meta Must Face Worker's Transgender Health Coverage Suit

    Meta can't escape a transgender employee's lawsuit claiming the company's health plan unlawfully denied her coverage of gender-affirming surgeries, an Oregon federal judge ruled, rejecting the company's assertion that she hadn't adequately alleged the plan covered her desired procedures.

  • February 27, 2026

    DOL Extends Comment Window On PBM Transparency Rule

    The U.S. Department of Labor said Friday that the public will be given more time to comment on a new proposed rule that would require pharmacy benefit managers to disclose how much money they've received while serving as intermediaries between drugmakers, pharmacies and insurers.

  • February 26, 2026

    Health Plans Lack Expert In Avandia MDL, 3rd Circ. Told

    Counsel for GlaxoSmithKline urged a Third Circuit panel on Thursday to undo an order certifying a class of health plans in the multidistrict litigation over the company's alleged deceptive marketing of the diabetes drug Avandia, arguing the plaintiffs didn't have the experts necessary to support their case.

  • February 26, 2026

    $95M Kaiser Row Tees Up Challenge For Fund Returns

    Kaiser Foundation Health Plan’s lawsuit seeking $95 million in coverage for a recently settled whistleblower action raises an important challenge to policy language that limits coverage for claims related to returning funds received from government agencies, as policyholder attorneys call for a broad interpretation of the policy language.

  • February 26, 2026

    Feds Back Pharma In 340B Contract Pharmacy Disputes

    State laws that block drugmakers from imposing restrictions on federally funded hospitals and the contract pharmacies they use to dispense discounted drugs under the 340B drug discount program are violating federal law, the Trump administration said, siding with manufacturers in their bid to strike down these laws.

  • February 25, 2026

    Online Abortion Pill Provider Illegally Ships To Texas, AG Says

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Aid Access, its founder and a California doctor in state court Tuesday alleging they operate an "abortion-by-mail enterprise" that ship abortion-inducing drugs to Texas residents, which is endangering the lives of unborn children and their mothers. 

  • February 25, 2026

    White House Cites Fraud, Freezes $259M In Minn. Medicaid

    The Trump administration on Wednesday said it would hold back $259.9 million in Medicaid funding for Minnesota as part of what it called an unprecedented effort to combat fraud in programs that support low-income families.

  • February 25, 2026

    Fla. Court Blocks Doctor Dispensing Rules For Worker Claims

    A Florida panel on Wednesday set aside a state agency's proposed rules that would include doctors in a workers' compensation law that gives patients an "absolute choice" over which pharmacist can fill their prescriptions, saying the proposals go beyond what lawmakers intended.

  • February 25, 2026

    Centene Says Filed Rate Doctrine Dooms RICO, Fraud Claims

    Centene Corp. urged an Illinois federal judge Tuesday to grant it partial judgment in a proposed class action by patients alleging the company violated racketeering laws and cheated them out of billions with bogus policies, arguing the filed rate doctrine bars the refunds they seek for alleged overcharges.

  • February 25, 2026

    Pakistan Native Pleads Not Guilty To $10M Healthcare Fraud

    A native of Pakistan who is living in Texas pled not guilty Wednesday to a Chicago indictment claiming he participated in an alleged $10 million healthcare fraud and money laundering scheme involving fake medical companies that filed claims for items and services they never provided.

  • February 25, 2026

    9th Circ. Rules K-12 Mental Health Grants Must Continue

    The U.S. Department of Education must fund K-12 mental health grants given to public schools to help students cope with school shootings, the Ninth Circuit ruled, denying the agency's emergency request to pause a lower court's permanent injunction pending an appeal. 

  • February 24, 2026

    Ariz., Calif. Lead Suit Over 'Senseless' HHS Vaccine Overhaul

    Arizona and California are leading a coalition of states challenging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' decision to cut vaccine recommendations for American children, alleging in a lawsuit Tuesday that the "unprecedented attack" stems from HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s "unscientific hostility to vaccines."

  • February 24, 2026

    6th Circ. Affirms Dismissal Of Sotera Toxic Gas Investor Suit

    The Sixth Circuit on Tuesday affirmed a lower court's dismissal of an investor lawsuit accusing Sotera Health Co. of concealing the carcinogenic nature of a gas used at its sterilization plants, finding Sotera did not make any actionable false or misleading statements to investors.

  • February 24, 2026

    Texas Panel Skeptical That Doctor's Hands Are Property

    A Texas appellate court appeared dubious at a claim that a doctor's hands count as personal property in a case accusing a state-owned hospital of healthcare negligence, asking Tuesday what to do with the state Supreme Court's instruction to narrowly construe waivers of sovereign immunity.

  • February 24, 2026

    Abortion Pill Access, Tariff Questions And More In Court

    Law360 Healthcare Authority looks at drugmakers' intervention in federal litigation concerning mail-order abortion medication, questions left open by the U.S. Supreme Court's decision striking down tariffs and other significant litigation developments this week.

  • February 24, 2026

    How To Read FDA's Flip-Flop On Moderna Flu Vaccine

    An unusual FDA reversal on a new flu vaccine is raising alarm bells for health experts and attorneys.

  • February 24, 2026

    Ariz. Bill To Limit 'No Surprises' Arbitration Offers Put On Hold

    A powerful Arizona state lawmaker this week agreed to pause his proposal to establish limits on how much medical providers can seek under the No Surprises Act arbitration system, saying the legislation needs more work and he'll bring it back next year.

  • February 24, 2026

    FDA Expert Panels May Exploit A Legal 'Loophole,' Atty Says

    Law360 Healthcare Authority talks to attorney Joseph Daval about the rise of FDA expert panels, federal law, and blurring the lines between expert and stakeholder.

  • February 24, 2026

    Mallinckrodt's Ch. 11 Blocks Antitrust Payouts, Judge Rules

    A Connecticut federal judge has ruled that drugmaker Mallinckrodt PLC shrugged off monetary claims brought by states in a sprawling generic drug antitrust enforcement action when the company emerged from bankruptcy in 2022.

  • February 24, 2026

    United Wants Partial Fraud Suit Win Against Billing Co.

    TeamHealth has been submitting fraudulent claims to get UnitedHealthcare to overpay it by more than $100 million, the insurer argued as it asked a Tennessee federal judge to grant it a partial early win in its suit against the emergency room staffing and billing company.

Expert Analysis

  • A Shifting Trend In FDA Form 483 Disclosure Obligations

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    A New York federal court's Checkpoint Therapeutics decision extends a recent streak of dismissals of securities class actions alleging that pharmaceutical companies failed to disclose U.S. Food and Drug Administration Form 483 inspection reports, providing critical guidance for companies during the FDA approval process, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • The Future Of Lab-Test Regs After FDA Rescinds Rule

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    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently rescinded its laboratory-developed tests rule in response to a Texas federal court decision this spring, reinforcing a separation of authority between the FDA and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and calling into question the FDA's role in overseeing such tests without congressional action, say attorneys at Venable.

  • Unpacking Ore. Law's Limits On PE Healthcare Investment

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    A recent Oregon law imposes significant restrictions on nonphysicians owning or controlling medical practices, but newly enacted amendments provide some additional flexibility in certain ownership arrangements without scuttling the law's intent of addressing concerns about the rise of private equity investment in healthcare, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Criminal Healthcare Fraud Takeaways From 4th Circ. Reversal

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    After the Fourth Circuit reversed a doctor’s postconviction acquittal in U.S. v. Elfenbein last month, defense attorneys should consider three strategies when handling complex criminal healthcare matters, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.

  • AG Watch: Texas Embraces The MAHA Movement

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    Attorneys at Kelley Drye examine Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's actions related to the federal Make America Healthy Again movement, and how these actions hinge on representations or omissions by the target companies as opposed to specific analyses of the potential health risks.

  • How States Are Regulating Health Insurers' AI Usage

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    The absence of a federal artificial intelligence framework positions states as key regulators of health insurers’ AI use, making it important for payors and service providers to understand the range of state AI legislation being passed in California and elsewhere, and consider implementing an AI-focused compliance infrastructure, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • HHS Plan To Cut Immigrant Benefits Spurs Provider Questions

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    A recent notice from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services identifying new federal public benefit programs for which nonqualified aliens are not eligible may have a major impact on entities that participate in these programs — but many questions remain unanswered, say attorneys at Foley.

  • Noncompete Forecast Shows Tough Weather For Employers

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    Several new state noncompete laws signal rough conditions for employers, particularly in the healthcare sector, so employers must account for employees' geographic circumstances as they cannot rely solely on choice-of-law clauses, say lawyers at McDermott.

  • Previewing State Efforts To Regulate Mental Health Chatbots

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    New York, Nevada and Utah have all recently enacted laws regulating the use of artificial intelligence to deliver mental health services, offering early insights into how other states may regulate this area, say attorneys at Goodwin.

  • How DOJ's New Data Security Rules Leave HIPAA In The Dust

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's recently effective data security requirements carry profound implications for how healthcare providers collect, store, share and use data — and approach vendor oversight — that go far beyond the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, say attorneys at Nelson Mullins.

  • Texas Med Spas Must Prepare For 2 New State Laws

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    Two new laws in Texas — regulating elective intravenous therapy and reforming healthcare noncompetes — mark a pivotal shift in the regulatory framework for medical spas in the state, which must proactively adapt their operations and contractual practices, says Brad Cook at Munsch Hardt.

  • DOJ-HHS Collab Crystallizes Focus On Health Enforcement

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    The recently announced partnership between the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to combat False Claims Act violations, following a multiyear trend of high-dollar DOJ recoveries, signals a long-term enforcement horizon with major implications for healthcare entities and whistleblowers, say attorneys at RJO.

  • How The Healthline Privacy Settlement Redefines Ad Tech Use

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    The Healthline settlement is the first time California has drawn a clear line in the sand around how website tracking must function in practice, so if your site uses tracking technologies, especially around sensitive content like health or finance, regulators are inspecting your website's back end, not just its banner, say attorneys at Baker Donelson.