Health Law Advisor

On Friday October 6, 2017, the Trump administration released two interim final rules expanding the exemptions allowed under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s (the “ACA’s”) contraceptive coverage mandate. Under the ACA, employer group health plans generally are required to cover contraceptives, sterilization, and related patient education and counseling, with exemptions provided for religious houses of worship. The exemption was expanded by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as a result of the Supreme Court’s decision in Burwell v ...

Our colleague Robert F. Atlas, President of EBG Advisors, Inc., published an advisory that will be of interest to stakeholders in the health care industry: The After-Effects of Graham-Cassidy's Demise.

Following is an excerpt:

Taken together, the failure of the ACA repeal-and-replace effort (for now) bodes well for health care providers. The percentage of the population that's covered—and thus is less likely to represent uncompensated care for providers—will remain fairly high, notwithstanding some erosion if the individual market isn't bolstered.

Similarly, insurers ...

On Monday, January 23^rd, Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced the Patient Freedom Act of 2017 ("PFA"), the first of what may be many Republican Affordable Care Act ("ACA") "replacement" alternatives. The PFA is notable for several reasons. It is the first replacement plan to be introduced in the 115^th Congress, it is sponsored by Senators who are considered comparatively moderate on health issues, and thus its content may represent an opportunity for compromise in the future, and, perhaps most interestingly, does not actually repeal the ACA. The ...

FDA published the long awaited draft guidance on wellness products last Friday. The guidance is a positive step forward for industry in that it proposes that certain general wellness products will not be subject to FDA regulation.

The draft guidance clarifies that FDA does not intend to enforce its regulations against products that are "low risk" and are intended to:

1. Maintain or encourage health without reference to a disease or condition (e.g. weight, fitness, stress) or
2. Help users live well with or reduce risks of chronic conditions, where it is well accepted that a healthy ...

Our colleagues Kara Maciel, Frank C. Morris Jr., Elizabeth Bradley, and Adam Solander have posted a client advisory on the recent ACA employer mandate delay, exploring the ramifications and unresolved issues that employers should consider. Following is an excerpt:

In reaction to employers' concerns about the many difficulties posed in efforts to comply with the Employer Mandate provisions of the Affordable Care Act ("ACA"), the Obama administration ("Administration") announced late yesterday that it is delaying the implementation of the penalty provisions and other ...

I’ve posted a client advisory on the recent ACA employer mandate delay, with my colleagues Frank C. Morris, Jr.; Elizabeth Bradley; and Adam Solander.  We explore the ramifications and unresolved issues that employers should consider.  Following is an excerpt:

In reaction to employers' concerns about the many difficulties posed in efforts to comply with the Employer Mandate provisions of the Affordable Care Act ("ACA"), the Obama administration ("Administration") announced late yesterday that it is delaying the implementation of the penalty provisions and other aspects of ...

On March 26, 27 and 28, 2012, the Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States (“SCOTUS”) heard oral arguments in a series of cases, including Department of Health and Human Services, et al. v. State of Florida, et al, which addresses the constitutionality of certain provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (“PPACA”).  In the three days of testimony, SCOTUS debated whether (1) the Anti-Injunction Act bars a decision until a tax is actually collected under PPACA, (2) the individual mandate to buy health insurance under PPACA is a valid exercise of ...