Policy & Compliance

  • February 13, 2025

    Old Dominion Worker's Gender-Affirming Care Suit Dropped

    A transgender woman participating in an Old Dominion employee health plan agreed to drop her suit alleging she was wrongly denied gender-affirming care coverage for facial hair removal after a Washington federal judge dismissed the case in January, citing a settlement of the dispute.

  • February 13, 2025

    Maryland Judge Blocks Trump's Orders On Trans Healthcare

    A Maryland federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from restricting gender-affirming care for people under the age of 19 and required the administration to keep in place federal funding for healthcare providers that provide transgender care. 

  • February 13, 2025

    Telehealth Cos. Strike Deal To End Manager's Unpaid OT Suit

    A Florida federal judge signed off Thursday on a nearly $15,000 settlement that resolves a former manager's lawsuit accusing two telehealth companies of misclassifying her as overtime-exempt and causing her to lose out on extra wages.

  • February 13, 2025

    Buchanan Adds Healthcare Shareholder From Michael Best

    Courtney Tito, a new healthcare shareholder at Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney LLP, told Law360 Pulse in an interview Thursday that her time in Baghdad as one of the only women attorneys helping to draft judicial legislation and amend Iraq's Constitution taught her to be an effective attorney.

  • February 13, 2025

    Small But Mighty Busy: 1st Circ. A Hub For Anti-Trump Suits

    The Boston-based First Circuit will play an outsize role in litigation challenging the aggressive start to President Donald Trump's second administration, but the liberal stronghold's philosophic divergence with the U.S. Supreme Court may make any victories fleeting.

  • February 13, 2025

    Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Confirmed, Sworn In As HHS Secretary

    Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is officially the nation's top healthcare official.

  • February 12, 2025

    RI Judge Won't Pause Order To Unfreeze Funds Amid Appeal

    A Rhode Island federal judge refused Wednesday to pause a court order blocking a freeze on funding for federal grants and programs while the Trump administration appeals the ruling to the First Circuit.

  • February 12, 2025

    Tribal Healthcare In Danger Due To Hiring Freeze, Letter Says

    The top Democratic ranking members for subcommittees that oversee federal funding for the Indian Health Service are demanding the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services intervene to stop cuts to the agency's workforce, saying without it Indigenous communities' access to needed services is in jeopardy.

  • February 12, 2025

    House GOP Eyes Medicaid Cuts, Work Requirements

    House Republicans set their sights on potential cuts and changes to Medicaid on Wednesday, arguing Congress and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency should target improper payments, institute work requirements and repeal a Biden-era rule that made enrolling in the federal healthcare program easier. 

  • February 12, 2025

    Tobacco Fee Couldn't Have Injured Worker, Campbell's Says

    The Campbell's Co. urged a New Jersey federal court to toss a suit from a former worker alleging the company's tobacco-free wellness program is violating federal benefits law by making workers who use tobacco pay more for health insurance, arguing the ex-employee can't bring his claims because he never enrolled in the program.

  • February 12, 2025

    States Can't Halt Funding Ban On Trans Care, DOJ Tells Court

    Washington, Minnesota and Oregon can't block a White House executive order that cuts off federal funding for gender-affirming care for minors, President Donald Trump's administration told a Washington federal judge, arguing that the states' suit is premature and that the president has acted within his powers.

  • February 11, 2025

    Novo Nordisk Mostly Escapes Insulin Pen Contamination Suit

    Novo Nordisk has, for now, beaten much of a Connecticut-based hospital's federal lawsuit seeking to hold it financially responsible for the $1 million settlement the hospital paid to patients potentially exposed to blood-borne infections after the medical staff used the pharma company's product.

  • February 11, 2025

    Colo. Justices Mull Statute's Silence In Med Mal Cap Debate

    The Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday pressed a doctor on why it should cap a patient's prefiling interest in a medical malpractice case when lawmakers didn't clearly state whether an exception to a damages cap applies.

  • February 11, 2025

    Federal Healthcare Attys Look For Exits Amid Trump Upheaval

    Amid President Donald Trump's aggressive moves to slash the federal workforce, government healthcare attorneys are job hunting in the private sector en masse as they look to get ahead of potential layoffs and beat the crowd out the door.

  • February 11, 2025

    Split 3rd Circ. Keeps Merck Vaccine Antitrust Panel Immunity

    The full Third Circuit refused to reconsider a ruling that immunized Merck & Co. from antitrust claims over submissions it made to federal regulators for its mumps vaccine, over the objection of a trio of appellate judges.

  • February 11, 2025

    Former HHS Drug Pricing Atty Returns To Covington

    Covington & Burling LLP said Tuesday a former associate who most recently served at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services working on drug pricing negotiation programs will return as a partner to the firm's healthcare and life sciences practice groups in Washington, D.C. 

  • February 11, 2025

    Trump's Anti-DEI Push Poses New FCA Risks For Healthcare

    President Donald Trump's order restricting diversity, equity and inclusion programs threatens to ratchet up the False Claims Act risk facing the healthcare industry. Hospitals and research groups have questions about who's covered and what is or isn't permissible under Trump's anti-DEI push.

  • February 11, 2025

    Insurer Says $641M Deal Over Tainted Flint Water Not Covered

    An insurer told a Michigan federal court Tuesday that it shouldn't have to pay any part of a $641 million settlement reached by a Flint, Michigan, medical center on behalf of patients who supposedly suffered from legionella and lead exposure because of unclean drinking water in the facility.

  • February 11, 2025

    Abortion Bans, State Shield Laws Tee Up Extradition Conflict

    The decision by Louisiana officials to bring a criminal case against a New York doctor for providing abortion medications online has set the stage for a new battle over states' duties to hand over defendants accused of fleeing justice in another state.

  • February 11, 2025

    A 'Disaster For Science': Universities Sue Over NIH Grant Cap

    Research universities and higher education organizations on Tuesday requested an order from a Massachusetts federal court to halt the Trump administration from capping indirect costs for grants from the National Institutes of Health, one day after a separate Bay State federal judge paused the change from taking effect in a case brought by a group of state attorneys general.

  • February 11, 2025

    Chiropractors As Expert Medical Witnesses: 3 Cases To Know

    A recent Michigan appellate decision builds on a growing volume of case law addressing when chiropractors can weigh in as medical experts in court. Law360 looks at that decision and others that have shaped the standard for expert testimony from chiropractors.

  • February 11, 2025

    CVS, Aetna Escape Testing Lab's $20.6M Unpaid Invoices Suit

    A Connecticut federal judge threw out a testing laboratory's lawsuit seeking $20.6 million in unpaid invoices from Aetna Inc. and its owner CVS Health Corp., saying the complaint lacked detail and left the companies "guessing" which allegations corresponded to which claims.

  • February 11, 2025

    DC Judge Orders Restoration Of Public Health Webpages

    A D.C. federal judge on Tuesday ordered federal agencies to revive public health webpages and datasets taken offline as part of the Trump administration's effort to root out references to "gender ideology."

  • February 10, 2025

    DC Judge Questions Abrupt Removal Of Public Health Info

    A D.C. federal judge said he was wrestling with some "circular" arguments offered by the government on Monday as he weighed whether to order the restoration of public health web pages and datasets that had been taken down by the Trump administration.

  • February 10, 2025

    UnitedHealth Says Fed Suit Imperils Deal's Many Benefits

    UnitedHealth Group and home health and hospice giant Amedisys Inc. responded to the U.S. Department of Justice's merger challenge Friday by telling a Maryland federal judge that the government is taking quotes out of context, focusing on "artificially narrow geographic markets" and misjudging market realities.

Expert Analysis

  • Takeaways From High Court's Tribal Health Admin Cost Ruling

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent determination that the government must reimburse two Native American tribes for administrative healthcare costs will help tribes maintain equal footing with the Indian Health Service when administering programs, and continues a pattern of how the current court aligns on tribal concerns, say attorneys at Lewis Roca.

  • FTC Focus: Private Equity Investments In Healthcare

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    As the Federal Trade Commission is tightening its scrutiny of private equity investment in healthcare, the agency is finding novel grounds to challenge key focus areas, including rollup acquisitions, the flip-and-strip approach and minority investments in rival providers, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • High Court's Expert Ruling May Help Health Fraud Defendants

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Diaz v. U.S. appears to give the government a powerful new tool in calling its own agents as expert witnesses, but it could also benefit defense counsel in criminal healthcare fraud and other white collar criminal cases that arise in complex legal or regulatory environments, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Unpacking HHS' Opinion On Cell Therapy Refund Programs

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    A recent advisory opinion from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, determining that a biopharma company's refund program for its cell therapy will not be penalized, indicates an encouraging willingness to engage, but the regulator's assumptions about the program's limited term warrant a closer look, says Mary Kohler at Kohler Health.

  • DOJ Innovasis Settlement Offers Lessons On Self-Disclosure

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    The recent $12 million settlement with Innovasis and two of its executives demonstrates the U.S. Department of Justice's continued prioritization of Anti-Kickback Statute enforcement amid the growing circuit split over causation, and illustrates important nuances surrounding self-disclosure, say Denise Barnes and Scott Gallisdorfer at Bass Berry.

  • How Orange Book Antitrust Scrutiny Is Intensifying

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    Pharmaceutical patent holders should be reviewing Orange Book listing practices, as the Federal Trade Commission takes a more aggressive antitrust approach with actions such as the Teva listing probe, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration calls attention to potentially improper listings, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • After Chevron: Slowing Down AI In Medical Research

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision overturning the Chevron doctrine may inhibit agencies' regulatory efforts, potentially slowing down the approval and implementation of artificial intelligence-driven methodologies in medical research, as well as regulators' responses to public health emergencies, say Ragini Acharya and Matthew Deutsch at Husch Blackwell.

  • FDA's Multifaceted Role On Display In MDMA Therapy Scrutiny

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    Ongoing deliberations at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regarding MDMA-assisted therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder serves as a window into the intricate balance of scientific innovation and patient safety oversight, and offers crucial insights into regulatory nuances, say Kimberly Chew at Husch Blackwell and Kevin Lanzo at Pharmaka Clinical Consulting.

  • Analyzing FDA Draft Guidance On Clinical Trial Diversity

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    In light of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's draft guidance on clinical trial diversity action plans, there are several important considerations for sponsors and clinical researchers to keep in mind to prevent delay in a drug or device application, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • In The CFPB Playbook: Making Good On Bold Promises

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision upholding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's funding structure in the second quarter cleared the way for the bureau to resume a number of high-priority initiatives, and it appears poised to charge ahead in working toward its aggressive preelection agenda, say Andrew Arculin and Paula Vigo Marqués at Blank Rome.

  • Critical Questions Remain After High Court's Abortion Rulings

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decisions in two major abortion-related cases this term largely preserve the status quo for now, but leave federal preemption, the Comstock Act and in vitro fertilization in limbo, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.

  • Navigating FDA Supply Rule Leeway For Small Dispensers

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    As the November compliance deadline for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's new pharmaceutical distribution supply chain rules draws closer, small dispensers should understand the narrow flexibilities that are available, and the questions to consider before taking advantage of them, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • 1st Gender Care Ban Provides Context For High Court Case

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    The history of Arkansas' ban on gender-affirming medical care — the first such legislation in the U.S. — provides important insight into the far-reaching ramifications that the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in U.S. v. Skrmetti next term will have on transgender healthcare, says Tyler Saenz at Baker Donelson.