Policy & Compliance

  • October 16, 2025

    31,000 Kaiser Workers Go On Strike In Calif., Ore. And Hawaii

    About 31,000 Kaiser Permanente workers represented by a nurses union are on strike in California, Hawaii and Oregon, planning to remain on the picket line through Sunday to fight for higher wages.

  • October 16, 2025

    Morrison Cohen Starts Healthcare & Wellness Practice

    Morrison Cohen LLP announced the formal launch of its healthcare and wellness practice group on Thursday, citing growing client demand at the intersection of health, technology, and consumer products and services.

  • October 15, 2025

    Judge Won't Block Mich. Medicaid Mental Health Restructure

    A Michigan state judge has ruled that the Great Lakes State has the authority to competitively bid and restructure the geographic territory of prepaid inpatient health plans that manage mental health care for the state's Medicaid beneficiaries.

  • October 15, 2025

    Conn. Hospital Had Cause To Fire Lawmaker, Judge Confirms

    A Connecticut judge has confirmed an arbitrator's finding that Norwalk Hospital had "just cause" to fire a now-former state lawmaker, Anabel Figueroa, from her job as a unit coordinator after she made allegedly antisemitic remarks on the campaign trail.

  • October 15, 2025

    Bankruptcy Can't End Caterpillar Privacy Suit, Ex-Worker Says

    A former Caterpillar employee urged an Illinois federal judge on Tuesday not to let his bankruptcy spell doom for his lawsuit claiming the machinery manufacturer illegally collects applicants' family medical histories, arguing he properly used a 'wildcard exemption' to shield his assets from creditors.

  • October 15, 2025

    Judge Denies Class Cert. In Coast Guard Vax Suit

    A U.S. Court of Federal Claims judge declined to certify a proposed class of Coast Guard personnel who were involuntarily removed from active duty after refusing the COVID-19 vaccination, calling their proposed subclasses overly broad and potential claims too unique. 

  • October 15, 2025

    Crowell & Moring Adds Seasoned Healthcare Trial Atty

    Crowell & Moring on Wednesday announced that it is expanding its healthcare team with the addition of a first-chair trial attorney who co-founded the healthcare practice at Robins Kaplan LLP, where he was most recently a partner.

  • October 15, 2025

    Nursing Entities Stiffed Workers On OT, Suit Claims

    Two subsidiaries of an operator of nursing facilities automatically deducted unpaid meal breaks that certified nursing assistants were unable to take, leading to unpaid overtime wages, a former employee said in a proposed class and collective action in Colorado federal court.

  • October 14, 2025

    Providers Bring No Surprises Act Fight To High Court

    Two air ambulance providers asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow them to use the courts to collect on out-of-network billing dispute resolution awards granted under the No Surprises Act, saying that without judicial review, insurers can just skip out on NSA bills to providers.

  • October 14, 2025

    6th Circ. Won't Revive Allergy Tester's Antitrust Case

    The Sixth Circuit refused to revive an allergy testing and treatment company's antitrust case accusing an insurer and a medical group of conspiring to squeeze it out of the market, after finding that doctors are the ones being directly harmed by the alleged activity.

  • October 14, 2025

    State Fraud Units Step Up To Police Medicaid

    The loss of seasoned prosecutors at federal agencies, coupled with the Trump administration’s intense focus on immigration, is undermining the government’s ability to police complex healthcare fraud schemes. State Medicaid fraud units are stepping up.

  • October 14, 2025

    Meet HHS General Counsel Michael Stuart

    Michael Stuart, a former chief federal prosecutor for West Virginia, has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as general counsel for the Department of Health and Human Services, where he has promised to make healthcare fraud enforcement a priority. 

  • October 14, 2025

    Humana's 2025 Medicare Ratings Sound, Judge Says

    A Texas federal judge on Tuesday upheld the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' 2025 star ratings for some of Humana Inc.'s Medicare Advantage plans, saying the agency had the right to hand down a poor rating to the insurer.

  • October 14, 2025

    Expert Warns Of Autism Claims 'Tsunami' For Vax Program

    Drawing on federal data on profound autism, a law professor and former Arnold & Porter partner predicts that a federal declaration that childhood vaccines cause autism could generate roughly $30 billion in new claims a year and bankrupt the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.

  • October 14, 2025

    CMS 'Upcoding' Audit Plan In Doubt After Texas Ruling

    The nation's top Medicare official pledged to use a deluge of new audits to beat back "upcoding" overpayments for Medicare Advantage plans. A Texas federal judge blew a hole in the strategy recently by voiding a 2023 rule on data sample extrapolation.

  • October 14, 2025

    Justices Seek SG Input In 'Lightning Rod' Health Ministry Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday asked for the U.S. solicitor general to weigh in on a "lightning rod" of a case involving the regulation of nonprofit healthcare-sharing ministries that provide cheap, Christian-friendly health insurance options but aren't legally bound to pay for medical care.

  • October 14, 2025

    Philly Healthcare Duo Joins Burns White

    Burns White LLC announced that a pair of experienced Philadelphia-based attorneys have joined the firm's healthcare practice as a member and of counsel.

  • October 14, 2025

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Last week at the Delaware Chancery Court, Vice Chancellor Lori W. Will ruled that Carlos Vasallo remains the CEO of Caribevision TV Network LLC, finding that majority investors' attempt to remove him under a defective 2019 agreement was invalid for lack of proper notice.

  • October 14, 2025

    H-1B Visa Fee Threatens To Deepen Doctor Shortages

    A new $100,000 fee for healthcare worker visas is sowing confusion in the medical community and raising concerns that the price tag could block thousands of doctors from practicing in underserved and rural communities.

  • October 10, 2025

    AstraZeneca Strikes 'Most Favored Nation' Price Deal

    Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca on Friday cut a deal with the Trump administration to reduce drug prices in the United States, agreeing to provide its medications for Medicaid beneficiaries at discount prices.

  • October 10, 2025

    Ex-Casino CEO's ERISA Fight Against ND Tribe Gets Trimmed

    A North Dakota federal judge trimmed a suit by the ex-CEO of a tribe-owned casino who alleged his healthcare benefits were cut off following a period of leave, finding the court lacked jurisdiction over common law claims, but claims under federal benefits law were sufficiently backed up to reach discovery.

  • October 09, 2025

    Aetna Inks ERISA Deal Over Nixed Spinal Surgery Claims

    Aetna has agreed to pay a class of health plan members up to $55,000 each to resolve their suit alleging their coverage claims for lumbar disk replacement surgeries were wrongfully denied, amounting to a deal worth millions of dollars, according to a California federal court filing.

  • October 09, 2025

    ADA Doesn't Stop At Prison Gates, 3rd Circ. Says In Reversal

    The Third Circuit ordered a lower court to accept an incarcerated man's amended Americans with Disabilities Act lawsuit against a Pennsylvania prison that he says denied him proper medical treatment when a spinal cord injury left him paralyzed in his cell.

  • October 09, 2025

    San Antonio Abandons Out-Of-State Abortion Travel Appeal

    The city of San Antonio on Thursday conceded defeat in its request for court approval to go forward with a program that included funding for out-of-state travel for abortions, handing a victory to the state's attorney general.

  • October 08, 2025

    Chancery Extends Pause On Hospital Board Law Challenge

    The pause on ChristianaCare's lawsuit in Delaware Chancery Court against state officials in which it's challenging legislation that created a state-appointed board to review and approve hospital budgets was extended four months Wednesday to allow more time for the sides to reach a settlement.

Expert Analysis

  • How Trump Orders Affect Health Orgs.' Care For Trans Minors

    Author Photo

    Two recent executive orders issued by President Donald Trump regarding gender-affirming care for minors have put healthcare organizations in a precarious situation, and these institutions should prepare for various implications and potential scenarios, say attorneys at ArentFox.

  • Reproductive Health Under Trump So Far, And What's Next

    Author Photo

    Based on priorities stated so far, the Trump administration will likely continue to weaken Biden-era policies that protect reproductive health, with abortion, in vitro fertilization and contraception all being issues to watch closely amid a post-Dobbs shift, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • What's Next For Lab Test Regulation Without FDA Authority

    Author Photo

    A recent Texas federal court decision vacating the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's final rule that would apply FDA regulations to laboratory-developed tests signals potential positive impacts in the diagnostic space, and could inspire more healthcare entities to litigate against the government, say attorneys at Hooper Lundy.

  • 6 Criteria Can Help Assess Executive Branch Actions

    Author Photo

    With new executive policy changes announced seemingly every day, several questions can help courts, policymakers and businesses determine whether such actions are proper, effective and in keeping with our democratic norms, say Marc Levin and Khalil Cumberbatch at the Council on Criminal Justice.

  • Learning From COVID-19 Enforcement Against Nursing Homes

    Author Photo

    Five years after the COVID-19 outbreak caused a high number of deaths in nursing homes, an examination of enforcement actions against nursing homes in New York and elsewhere in the country highlights obstacles that may arise when bringing cases of this type, and ways to overcome them, says Kenneth Levine at Stone & Magnanini.

  • How Plan Sponsors Can Mitigate Risk In PBM Contracts

    Author Photo

    A recent lawsuit in New York federal court alleges that JPMorgan caused exorbitant prescription costs by mishandling the pharmacy benefit manager arrangement, adding to a growing body of Employee Retirement Income Security Act fiduciary breach litigation and affirming that fiduciaries must proactively manage their healthcare plan vendors, say attorneys at Hall Benefits Law.

  • 4th Circ. Health Data Ruling Opens Door To State Law Claims

    Author Photo

    In Real Time Medical v. PointClickCare, the Fourth Circuit recently clarified that state law claims can rest in part on violations of a federal law that prohibits electronic health information blocking, expanding legal risks for health IT companies and potentially creating exposure to a range of competitive implications, say attorneys at BCLP.

  • Unpacking Trump Admin Plans For Value-Based Care

    Author Photo

    Recent developments from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation suggest the Trump administration intends to put its own stamp on value-based care, emphasizing cost savings assessment in particular, with its recent cancellation of several payment models that had supported primary care, says Miranda Franco at Holland & Knight.

  • What To Expect For Stem Cell Regulation Under Trump Admin

    Author Photo

    The new administration's push for deregulation, plus the post-Chevron legal landscape, and momentum from key political and industry players to facilitate stem cell innovation may create an opportune backdrop for a significant reduction in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's regulatory framework for stem cells, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • How Importers Can Minimize FCA Risks Of Tariff Mitigation

    Author Photo

    False Claims Act risks are inherent in many tariff mitigation strategies, making it important for importers to implement best practices to identify and report potential violations of import regulations before they escalate, says Samuel Finkelstein at LMD Trade Law.

  • 10 Practical Takeaways From FDA's Biopharma AI Guidance

    Author Photo

    Recent guidance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration provides much-needed insight on the usage of artificial intelligence in producing information to support regulatory decision-making regarding drug safety, with implications ranging from life cycle maintenance to AI tool acquisition, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Lawmakers Shouldn't Overlook Rare Disease Therapies' Value

    Author Photo

    As the ORPHAN Cures Act is pending in Congress, policymakers assessing the value of certain drugs for price regulation should consider data beyond what is collected in clinical trials, say Alice Chen at the University of Southern California, and Molly Frean and Yao Lu at Analysis Group.

  • What Trump's Order Means For The Legal Status Of IVF

    Author Photo

    An executive order signed by President Donald Trump last month signals the administration's potential intention to increase protections for in vitro fertilization services, though more concrete actions would be needed to resolve the current uncertainty around IVF access or bring about a binding legal change, says Jeanne Vance at Weintraub Tobin.