Policy & Compliance

  • September 09, 2026

    5th Circ. Appears Skeptical Of La. Abortion Pill Suit

    Louisiana's solicitor general faced tough questions Wednesday from a Fifth Circuit panel about the state's standing to challenge federal regulations that allow abortion medication to be mailed to patients in the state.

  • September 09, 2026

    Hogan Lovells Cadwalader Hires FDA Chief Counsel

    Hogan Lovells Cadwalader has hired a former U.S. Food and Drug Administration leader, who has more than 35 years of experience at the agency and worked as chief counsel, as a new member of its Washington, D.C., office, according to a Wednesday announcement.

  • September 08, 2026

    11th Circ. Says ACA Trans Care Rule Fight Is Moot

    The Eleventh Circuit refused to revive a challenge to a gender-affirming care rule from the Biden administration that was later reversed by the Biden administration, concluding that the issue has become moot while the appeal was pending.

  • September 08, 2026

    State Coalition Can Pursue Challenge To HHS Vax Overhaul

    A California federal judge allowed a coalition of states to proceed with their challenge to the Trump administration's decision to cut vaccine recommendations for children, ruling Tuesday the states plausibly alleged those decisions could increase costs of running their healthcare programs and burden them with having to adjust their laws. 

  • September 08, 2026

    Auto Industry Group Gets DOL Green Light For Health Plan

    The U.S. Department of Labor's employee benefits arm said Tuesday that a group of retailers and repair centers associated with Napa Auto Parts is clear to establish a group health plan for its member employers, concluding the arrangement would be covered by federal benefits law.

  • September 08, 2026

    Same Circuit, New Panel For 5th Circ. Abortion Pill Clash

    Louisiana’s push to halt abortion pills by mail heads back to the Fifth Circuit after a quick trip to the U.S. Supreme Court. An entirely new panel of judges is set to take up the case.

  • September 08, 2026

    Anti-Fraud Health Weapon Survives Constitutional Fight

    The Eleventh Circuit decision backing the constitutionality of the False Claims Act's qui tam mechanism isn't the end of challenges to the whistleblower bar and healthcare enforcement.

  • September 08, 2026

    DOL Issues Mental Health Parity Enforcement Guidance

    The U.S. Department of Labor's employee benefits arm issued guidance Tuesday on how to comply with federal laws that require employer health plans to produce an analysis of their mental health and substance use disorder coverage, which remains subject to litigation in D.C. federal court.

  • September 08, 2026

    $2.3M Nemours Foundation's ERISA Deal Clears 1st Hurdle

    A Florida federal judge has granted initial approval to a $2.3 million deal the Nemours Foundation reached with ex-workers who claimed their retirement plan was weighed down by excessive fees, nearly a year after the deal was first rejected by the court.

  • September 08, 2026

    Idaho Supreme Court OKs Revised Abortion Ballot Language

    The Idaho Supreme Court has agreed to revised ballot language for an abortion amendment scheduled to be in front of voters this November. 

  • September 04, 2026

    Humana Says $7.3B Roundup Deal Sidelines Health Insurers

    Humana Inc. alleged in New Jersey federal court that Monsanto Co. is attempting to skirt its obligation to reimburse health insurers for medical expenses stemming from exposure to its Roundup product.

  • September 04, 2026

    Vertex Fertility Aid Plan Would Violate Kickback Law

    A D.C. Circuit panel said Friday that a proposed Vertex Pharmaceutical program that would offer gene therapy patients financial support for fertility services violates the Anti-Kickback Statute, finding the initiative could be an unlawful inducement to purchase a certain medical treatment.

  • September 04, 2026

    9th Circ. Restores Idaho Abortion Ban Enforcement, For Now

    The Ninth Circuit will allow Idaho to fully enforce its abortion ban while the state briefs its request for emergency relief from an order that blocked the ban's application in certain health-related circumstances and declared a fundamental right to some abortions under the U.S. Constitution.

  • September 04, 2026

    ERISA Recap: 5 Appellate Rulings To Know From August

    The Seventh Circuit kept an Arkansas pharmacy benefit manager rule in place as not preempted by federal benefits law, the Fourth Circuit revived an Altria ex-worker's dispute over benefit plan documents, and the Eleventh Circuit reversed a pretrial win for Royal Caribbean in cruise workers' suit challenging 401(k) funds. Here, Law360 looks at those and two other major appellate decisions from August involving ERISA that benefits attorneys may want to know.

  • September 04, 2026

    Hospital Group Wants To Weigh In On $32M Yale Death Verdict

    The Connecticut Hospital Association urged a state appeals court to let it weigh in on a challenge to a nearly $32 million judgment entered against a Yale University-affiliated hospital over a premature baby's death, arguing the case presents important issues surrounding wrongful death damages.

  • September 03, 2026

    Trump Admin Fights Uphill To Beat Vaccine Overhaul Suit

    A California federal judge indicated Thursday that he is likely to reject the federal government's bid to toss litigation from states challenging the Trump administration's decision to cut vaccine recommendations for American children, saying he thinks the states have standing based on the effect the change will have on their healthcare systems.

  • September 03, 2026

    Penn State Health Gets Retirement Fund Suit Trimmed

    A Pennsylvania federal judge agreed to pare claims from a proposed class action against Penn State Health from an employee who alleged mismanagement of two defined-contribution 401(k) and 403(b) plans, but opened discovery allegations that underperforming investment options breached fiduciary duties.

  • September 03, 2026

    HHS OIG Report Targets $380M In Medicare Organ Payments

    A report released by the inspector general for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday estimated Medicare needlessly reimbursed roughly $380 million for organs that weren't used in Medicare-covered transplants, finding a "conflict" between federal statute and agency guidance on reimbursement practices.

  • September 03, 2026

    Pa. Opens Home Care Wage Probes Covering 100K Workers

    Pennsylvania is planning to step up enforcement of wage laws for home care employees, the state's labor secretary has announced, saying these workers are particularly vulnerable to wage theft.

  • September 03, 2026

    Doctor Supervision Regs Unconstitutional In NC, Nurse Says

    North Carolina must do away with regulations requiring nurse practitioners to enter practice agreements with supervising physicians, an owner of several clinics providing menopause-related care argued in a state court complaint, alleging the regulations are arbitrary, costly and violate the state's constitution.

  • September 02, 2026

    States Sue To Block Medicaid Ban On Youth Gender Care

    Twenty state attorneys general on Wednesday challenged the Trump administration's plan to halt Medicaid funding for minors' gender-affirming care, alleging the move would violate federal law and usurp congressional power over government spending.

  • September 02, 2026

    Danish Researcher Pleads Guilty To CDC Grant Money Theft

    A Danish researcher who spent more than 14 years as a fugitive from U.S. authorities pled guilty Tuesday to operating a wire fraud scheme that diverted more than $1 million in grant money intended to fund overseas research into autism and other developmental disorders.

  • September 02, 2026

    2nd Circ. Says PBM Opioid Crisis Suits Belong In Fed. Court

    Local New York governments can't keep dozens of suits alleging two of the nation's largest pharmacy benefit managers contributed to the opioid epidemic in state court, a Second Circuit panel held Wednesday, finding the litigation alleges "indivisible" federal and non-federal conduct by the PBMs.

  • September 02, 2026

    Mylan's Conflict Concerns Halt Antitrust Bellwether Trial Plans

    A Pennsylvania federal judge on Wednesday stayed proceedings and continued the trial date in the sprawling generic drug antitrust case after defendant Mylan alleged that the special discovery master, Saxton & Stump shareholder and former federal judge Lawrence Stengel, has a conflict of interest.

  • September 02, 2026

    Colo. Exits Pharma Group's Challenge Of Drug Discount Law

    A Colorado federal court has thrown out a pharmaceutical industry trade group's challenge of a state law requiring drug manufacturers to sell discounted drugs through contracted pharmacies, finding the group failed to show the law conflicts with federal law or controls business activity beyond Colorado's borders.

Expert Analysis

  • Trump's Psychedelics EO Creates A Regulatory Collision

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    Sponsors pursuing U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for psychedelic drug access must tackle how to generate regulatory-grade safety and efficacy data in controlled trials when President Donald Trump's recent executive order on psychedelics mandates uncontrolled access through Right to Try, say Kimberly Chew at Husch Blackwell and Odette Hauke at Odette Alina.

  • AI Regulatory Gaps May Fuel FCA Enforcement Action

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    The intersection of artificial intelligence and False Claims Act enforcement presents legal risk for government contractors across several industries, particularly in the absence of a federal regulatory framework explicitly governing its development and use, say attorneys at O’Melveny.

  • 5th Circ.'s Abortion Pill Order Is Shaky On Multiple Grounds

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    The Fifth Circuit's recent order in Louisiana v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, reinstating an in-person dispensing requirement for the abortion medication mifepristone, seems to turn federalism upside-down, and is also questionable for several other reasons, says Gregory Curtner at Curtner Law.

  • 5 Takeaways From Justices' Subpoena Fight Ruling

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in First Choice v. Davenport fortifies a line of First Amendment associational privacy cases stretching back nearly 70 years, and ensures that organizations subject to government demands for donor information have a meaningful federal forum in which to defend their constitutional rights, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • Accelerated Psychedelic Therapy Pathways Require Caution

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    President Donald Trump's new executive order aiming to accelerate the approval of psychedelic drugs for the treatment of mental health disorders will likely bolster investigational psychedelic therapies, but parties within the psychedelic product supply chain will still need to prepare for potentially burdensome compliance requirements, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Health Cos. Must Act Quickly To Secure Digital Front Doors

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    A fast-approaching deadline will require health providers to implement digital accessibility standards to their websites, necessitating important compliance steps that will help to ensure equal access to online health services, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • How Oregon Ruling Affects Federal Gender Care Crackdown

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    In a favorable development for healthcare providers, an Oregon federal court recently vacated certain U.S. Department of Health and Human Services restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors, but the government's broader campaign against this care, including proposed rulemaking and agency investigations, leaves significant uncertainty, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • NY Opioid Antagonist Mandate Leaves Employers Guessing

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    A recently enacted New York law will require employers that are federally mandated to maintain first-aid supplies to now include an opioid antagonist, but being that it is subject to a complicated Occupational Safety and Health Administration analysis, employers face several unanswered compliance questions, say attorneys at Conn Maciel.

  • Calif. Case Raises Questions For Medical Practice Investors

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    The California attorney general's amicus brief in Art Center v. WCE and the California Medical Association's response highlight how the California appeals court's ruling could significantly affect the structure and enforceability of succession arrangements in medical practice ownership, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Previewing FDA Preapproval Access In Psychedelics EO

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    The second of two pathways for psychedelic drug access outlined in President Donald Trump's recent executive order constitutes an unprecedented expansion of the Right to Try Act, which could fundamentally alter the psychedelic access landscape while presenting significant regulatory, operational and legal challenges, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.

  • Previewing FDA National Priority Vouchers In Psychedelics EO

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    President Donald Trump's recent executive order on psychedelic drug access represents a watershed moment in federal drug policy, but its significance lies in two distinct regulatory pathways, the first being the Commissioner's National Priority Vouchers, which offer a significant opportunity to compress U.S. Food and Drug Administration review, say Kimberly Chew at Husch Blackwell and Odette Hauke at Odette Alina.

  • AG Watch: Texas Charts A Course On Investigative Authority

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    The Texas Supreme Court's recent decision in Texas v. PFLAG affirmed, and arguably expanded, the Texas attorney general's civil investigative demand authority, providing a road map that other courts evaluating state attorney general CIDs may find instructive, amid a lack of precedent, say attorneys at Kelley Drye.

  • Initial Virginia AG Actions Signal Focus On Multistate Efforts

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    Now that Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones has reached the 100-day mark in office, his first set of actions reveals a clear preference for coalition with regional and national counterparts, which means the primary risk for businesses is no longer just the fact of enforcement, but the speed at which investigations can escalate, says Lauren Cooper at Hogan Lovells.