Policy & Compliance
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December 08, 2025
High Court Wants Feds' Input On Health Workers' Vax Fight
The U.S. Supreme Court asked Monday for the federal government's input on a group of religious workers' challenge to a pandemic-era New York state policy requiring healthcare providers to make their employees be vaccinated against COVID-19.
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December 05, 2025
Juror Who Alleged Misconduct Dismissed From Opioid Trial
A juror in Florida hospitals' $1.5 billion trial against the three major pharmacy chains over opioid dispensing was dismissed Friday after a judge found that her allegations of serious misconduct against another juror were largely unwarranted.
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December 05, 2025
9th Circ. Won't Unfreeze Trump Cuts To Student Mental Health
The Ninth Circuit rejected the Trump administration's effort to undo a lower court's pause on federal funding reductions to K-12 mental health services, siding with a coalition of 16 states seeking to preserve programs established in the wake of high-profile school shootings.
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December 05, 2025
3rd Circ. Backs NJ In-State Rule For Medical Aid In Dying
A Delaware woman with terminal cancer cannot end her life with medical assistance in New Jersey, the Third Circuit ruled Friday in a precedential opinion, finding that the Garden State residency requirement for medical aid in dying is restricted solely to New Jerseyans.
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December 05, 2025
ERISA Recap: 4 Rulings Worth Paying Attention To From Nov.
The Ninth Circuit striking down a class action win for transgender employee health plan participants who said their gender-affirming care denials were discriminatory is just one noteworthy Employee Retirement Income Security Act ruling from November. Here's a recap of that ruling and three others.
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December 05, 2025
Justices Take On State Court Review Doctrine Case
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Friday to consider whether an appellate court correctly invoked the doctrine blocking federal courts from reviewing state court judgments in a case concerning an involuntary hospital commitment.
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December 05, 2025
Georgia Turns To 11th Circ. In Trans Prisoner Care Fight
The Eleventh Circuit will get a chance to weigh in on a district judge's recent decision requiring the Georgia Department of Corrections to provide hormone therapy to transgender inmates, according to a Friday filing in federal court.
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December 05, 2025
CDC Panel Ends Recommendation Of Hepatitis B Shot At Birth
A panel of federal vaccine advisers on Friday voted to lift a long-standing recommendation that all newborns be given vaccinations for hepatitis B.
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December 04, 2025
11th Circ. Blocks Fla. City's Abortion Clinic Buffer Zone Law
The Eleventh Circuit on Thursday ordered a preliminary injunction blocking a Clearwater, Florida, ordinance requiring a 5-foot buffer zone outside an abortion clinic, finding the city likely violated protesters' rights by burdening their ability to leaflet drivers.
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December 04, 2025
CDC Vaccine Committee Punts Hepatitis B Vote Again
Federal vaccine advisers on Thursday put off a vote on changing guidelines for a long-used hepatitis B vaccine for infants, delaying again a decision expected to have wide-ranging ramifications for national childhood vaccine policy in the U.S.
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December 04, 2025
Credit Bureaus Can't Duck Suit Over Excluded Medical Debt
A California federal judge has found that Equifax, Experian and TransUnion must face key parts of a rejiggered proposed antitrust class action from medical practices and collection agencies targeting the credit reporting agencies' decision to exclude medical debt under $500 from consumer credit reports.
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December 04, 2025
Mass. Justices Unlikely To Revive Verizon Tower Suit
Justices on Massachusetts' highest court appeared unlikely to second-guess a local health board's decision to drop an enforcement action against Verizon over perceived health effects from a cell tower after the telecom filed suit.
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December 04, 2025
Pharma Cos. Denied Early Win In States' Price-Fixing Suit
Twenty-six pharmaceutical companies failed to secure a quick win on overarching conspiracy claims in an antitrust case by the attorneys general of Connecticut and most other states, with a federal judge finding the "substantial bulk of evidence" points toward a broad industry scheme to fix 98 dermatology drug prices.
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December 04, 2025
$1M AAA Club Settlement Gets Final Nod In COBRA Suit
A Michigan federal judge granted final approval Thursday to a $1 million settlement an American Automobile Association club brokered with a class of workers to resolve their suit claiming they weren't notified on time that they could extend their health insurance after their benefits ended.
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December 04, 2025
Vivimed To Pay $1.9M To End Losartan Economic Loss Claims
Vivimed has agreed to pay $1.9 million to settle economic loss claims from a class of consumers and insurers related to its losartan product in sprawling multidistrict litigation over contaminated blood pressure medication, according to a Wednesday filing.
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December 04, 2025
Lawmakers Debate Higher Pay, Health Benefits For Boxers
An effort to revamp American boxing got underway on Capitol Hill on Thursday as lawmakers deliberated over legislation to provide better pay and workplace protections for fighters, with Democrats expressing concern over the potential for corruption to flourish in the sport.
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December 03, 2025
Pharmacies Want Opioid Mistrial As Deliberations Stretch On
The nation's three major pharmacy chains asked a Florida state judge Wednesday to declare a mistrial following 11 days of deliberations in a $1.5 billion case by hospitals over opioid dispensing, claiming jurors seem unaware that they are allowed to report a deadlock.
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December 03, 2025
Allstate Files RICO Suit Over Fla. Clinic's 'Exorbitant Charges'
Allstate hit a Florida medical practice and its owner with a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act complaint alleging the owner ran an insurance billing scheme for pain management care in violation of permanent restrictions on his medical license.
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December 03, 2025
FDA Seizes $1M In Illegal 7-OH Opioid Products
Federal regulators seized $1 million worth of illicit food products containing a kratom-derived compound from companies in Missouri, according to an announcement that said the action is part of the government's ongoing effort to crack down on the opioid-like supplement.
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December 03, 2025
Baxter Defeats Suit Over Stable Value Fund In $4B 401(k) Plan
An Illinois federal judge tossed a suit Wednesday from a worker who said medical products company Baxter International Inc. violated federal benefits law by retaining a lackluster stable value fund in its $4 billion retirement plan, ruling the data backing his case failed to capture long-term performance.
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December 03, 2025
AT&T Sues Generic Drug Manufacturers, Alleging Price-Fixing
AT&T has joined the bevy of litigants suing a swath of pharmaceutical companies over alleged generic drug price-fixing, claiming it shelled out billions of dollars for medication reimbursements to the drugmakers as part of its employee health plans when it could have spent far less if the drugs weren't subject to anticompetitive pricing.
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December 03, 2025
AGs Say Sun, Taro Settlement Mustn't Touch State Claims
State attorneys general have asked a Pennsylvania federal judge to again ensure their claims remain untouched by a settlement between private plaintiffs and generic-drug makers in sprawling price-fixing litigation, this time focusing on a $200 million deal between Sun Pharmaceutical, Taro Pharmaceuticals and employee benefit plans.
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December 02, 2025
States Hit Abbott With FCA Suit Over Infant Formula Recall
Seven states, including California, Michigan and New York, on Monday intervened in a False Claims Act suit brought by the federal government against Abbott Laboratories over the 2022 infant formula crisis seeking to recoup funds spent on the tainted baby food.
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December 02, 2025
CR Bard's Faulty Blood Filter Killed Wash. Woman, Suit Says
The family of a woman allegedly killed by a faulty blood filter implant accused device maker C.R. Bard Inc. in Washington federal court Monday of taking dangerous shortcuts as it rushed its line of products to market.
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December 02, 2025
Judge Blocks Planned Parenthood Funding Cut In 22 States
A Massachusetts federal judge Tuesday stopped the Trump administration from halting Medicaid reimbursements to Planned Parenthood clinics in 22 states, ruling the funding cutoff likely violated requirements to warn the states ahead of time about the change.
Expert Analysis
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Unpacking Trump Admin Plans For Value-Based Care
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.
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What To Expect For Stem Cell Regulation Under Trump Admin
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.
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How Importers Can Minimize FCA Risks Of Tariff Mitigation
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.
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10 Practical Takeaways From FDA's Biopharma AI Guidance
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.
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Lawmakers Shouldn't Overlook Rare Disease Therapies' Value
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.
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What Trump's Order Means For The Legal Status Of IVF
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.
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Mitigating Tariff Risks For Healthcare In US And Canada
Healthcare stakeholders should take steps to evaluate the impact of cross-border tariffs, as the historically strong ties between Canada and the U.S. demonstrate the potential for real disruption and harm to the healthcare industry in both countries, say attorneys at Norton Rose.
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What's At Stake In High Court Transgender Care Suit
The outcome of U.S. v. Skrmetti will have critical implications for the rights of transgender youth and their access to gender-affirming care, and will likely affect other areas of law and policy involving transgender individuals, including education, employment, healthcare and civil rights, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.
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6 Laws Transforming Calif.'s Health Regulatory Framework
Attorneys at Hooper Lundy discuss a number of new California laws that raise pressing issues for independent physicians and small practice groups, ranging from the use of artificial intelligence to wage standards for healthcare employees.
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Anticipating Calif. Oversight Of PE Participation In Healthcare
A new bill recently introduced in the California Senate revives last year's attempt to increase oversight of healthcare transactions involving private equity groups and hedge funds, meaning that attorneys may soon need to assess the compliance status of existing management relationships and consider modifying contract terms, says Andrew Demetriou at Husch Blackwell.
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Considering The Future Of AI Regulation On Health Sector
As Texas looks to become the next state to pass a comprehensive law regulating artificial intelligence, the healthcare industry should consider how AI regulation will continue to evolve in the U.S. and how industry members can keep up with compliance considerations, say attorneys at Kirkland & Ellis.
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What To Expect From 'Make America Healthy Again' Actions
The Make America Healthy Again Commission recently established by President Donald Trump and chaired by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will potentially bring energy and attention to important public health topics, and stakeholders should be aware of pathways for sharing their input and proactively informing proceedings, says Nicholas Manetto at Faegre Drinker.
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How Citizen Petitions Have Affected Drug Competition
In light of recent citizen petitions and proposed legislation regulating such petitions, Omar Robles at Managing Health analyzes the statistics of the extent to which citizen petitions have been filed, and to what extent they have delayed competition in prescription pharmaceuticals.