Policy & Compliance
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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October 08, 2025
$20M Deal Over Wash. Hospital Wage Claims Gets Final OK
A Washington state judge has given the final sign-off on a $20 million deal resolving a class action alleging that the state of Washington, doing business as the University of Washington Medical Center, shortchanged healthcare workers by rounding their hours worked and denying them second meal breaks on longer shifts.
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October 08, 2025
Arnall Golden Sanctioned For Giving Feds ERISA Suit Docs
A California federal judge has ordered Arnall Golden Gregory LLP to pay a $50,000 penalty for giving the U.S. Department of Labor confidential documents United Behavioral Health turned over in a class action accusing the insurer of overcharging workers for out-of-network substance use disorder treatments.
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October 08, 2025
Trump Admin Challenges Denial Of Trans Care Subpoena
The Trump administration told a Massachusetts federal judge that he got it wrong in quashing a subpoena for records of gender-affirming care at Boston Children's Hospital last month, urging the court to reconsider.
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October 07, 2025
Aetna COVID-19 Test Provider Sues Insurer For 'Unpaid' $53M
A Nebraska company that provided COVID-19 testing for Aetna has filed suit in California federal court, alleging that the insurer owes it more than $53 million for testing services but has refused to pay up.
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October 07, 2025
Bausch And Teva Blocked Cheaper IBS Drug, Retailers Say
A slew of retailers on Tuesday accused Bausch Health Cos. Inc. and Teva Pharmaceuticals of working together to keep the generic version of an irritable bowel syndrome drug off the market until 2028, forcing the retailers and other purchasers of the drug to pay monopoly prices.
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October 07, 2025
As Shutdown Continues, Hospital Attys Face Tired Clients
As the government shutdown passes the one-week mark, hospital administrators facing potential financial hits and other heartache from the battle on Capitol Hill are getting tired.
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October 07, 2025
4th Circ. Urged To Reverse $10M Medicare Fraud Conviction
A former physician's assistant on Tuesday requested that the Fourth Circuit reverse a six-year prison sentence for his involvement in a $10 million Medicaid fraud scheme, claiming evidence that could exonerate him was suppressed by a federal district court.
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October 07, 2025
Drug Tax Outdoes Biblical Punishment, 5th Circ. Judge Says
A Fifth Circuit panel pressed the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to justify the basis for the Medicare drug pricing program's steep excise tax, asking Tuesday whether the government had ever levied a higher tax in the nation's history.
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October 07, 2025
9th Circ. Rejects 'Kitchen Sink' Challenge To Vaccine Mandate
A Ninth Circuit panel on Monday upheld a lower court's rejection of a lawsuit brought by dozens of former employees of a nonprofit healthcare system who claimed Washington state's requirement that healthcare workers be vaccinated against COVID-19 violated their statutory and constitutional rights.
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October 07, 2025
Northwestern Wants ERISA Health Offering Suit Tossed
Northwestern University asked an Illinois federal judge on Monday to throw out a proposed class action alleging it breached fiduciary duties in offering a higher-cost health plan alongside a cheaper option, arguing the plaintiffs have failed to allege injury because they admit that they received all the benefits to which they were entitled under the more-expensive plan's terms.
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October 07, 2025
Arizona Ruling Delivers Trans Victory Amid Federal Scrutiny
A recent court order that bars Arizona from requiring proof of surgery before transgender people can change a birth certificate continues a trend of courts making it easier to amend vital records to match a person's gender identity.
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October 07, 2025
AGs Rip DOJ Bid To Pause Planned Parenthood Funding Suit
The U.S. Department of Justice wants to use the ongoing government shutdown as a "shield" to stop a group of states from seeking an injunction against a halt to Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood, the states told a Massachusetts federal judge in opposing a possible pause on their lawsuit.
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October 07, 2025
Colo. Drug Board First To Cap Drug Price, Likely Not The Last
Colorado's drug price regulation board put a first-of-its-kind cap on a pricey autoimmune disease drug. ݮƵ Healthcare Authority breaks down the Colorado announcement and other moves by state regulators.
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October 07, 2025
Justices Probe Standard Of Care In 'Conversion Therapy' Case
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday wrestled with whether gay "conversion" therapy banned by a Colorado law is a medical treatment that falls outside the accepted standard of care, or whether it's protected First Amendment speech.
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October 07, 2025
2nd Circ. Rules Inmates Not Entitled To Specific Gender Care
A Second Circuit panel has overturned a transgender inmate's partial win in a lawsuit against prison officials in Connecticut over allegedly inadequate gender dysphoria treatment, holding that the defendants are entitled to qualified immunity and that "inmates have no clearly established right to be treated by gender-dysphoria specialists" or receive specific treatments for the condition.
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October 07, 2025
3rd Circ. Won't Rehear J&J Investor Cert. Appeal
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit declined Tuesday to reconsider backing a New Jersey federal judge's class certification order in a Johnson & Johnson investor action alleging the company artificially inflated its stock price by failing to disclose cancer risks.
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October 07, 2025
Approach The Bench: Judge Kaplan On Suit Against The Gov't
U.S. Court of Federal Claims Judge Elaine Kaplan's docket doesn't always garner attention in the same way trial court cases do, but that may change as the executive branch makes sweeping budget and policy changes that could lend more political significance to monetary claims against the government.
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October 07, 2025
EMTs Appeal Losses Ahead Of False Death Declaration Trial
First responders facing trial for declaring a woman dead, only for a funeral home to discover she was alive, are urging a Michigan state appeals court to review what they say are "contradictory legal frameworks" imposed by a judge ahead of trial.
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October 07, 2025
La. Challenges Mail-Order Access To Abortion Medication
The state of Louisiana on Monday sued federal regulators for expanding access to the abortion medication mifepristone under the Biden administration, alleging the removal of an in-person dispensing requirement allows the drug to be mailed illegally into anti-abortion states.
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October 07, 2025
Air Medic Ends EEOC Disability Bias Suit Over Nixed Job Offer
A helicopter ambulance company has agreed to pay an air mechanic $59,000 to resolve a disability bias suit in an Alabama federal court from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging the business yanked back a job transfer offer because the worker was prescribed opioids.
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October 06, 2025
Judge Certifies Class In United Behavioral Health Billing Suit
A California federal judge has agreed to certify a class of employee health plan participants claiming United Behavioral Health and a billing contractor shorted them on coverage for out-of-network substance use disorder treatments, finding the plaintiffs submitted new billing evidence that meets the court's requirements.

DOJ Deal In Medicare Fraud Case A 'Slap On The Wrist'
Healthcare startup Troy Medicare had big ambitions to revolutionize senior care in the Medicare Advantage market before justice officials learned that thousands of people were being fraudulently enrolled. A former Troy board member calls the company’s nonprosecution agreement a “slap on the wrist.”

Vape Shops Knock FDA Enforcement After Jarkesy
Wielding a U.S. Supreme Court decision on in-house tribunals, a Texas vape store chain won a first-of-its-kind ruling that may provide a roadmap for similar Seventh Amendment challenges.

Tylenol MDL In Spotlight After Trump Blasts Use In Pregnancy
The Trump administration's attack on the use of acetaminophen during pregnancy drew on the work of a Harvard expert whose analysis is central to a legal clash now before a federal appeals court. The president's broadside promises to energize plaintiffs.
Expert Analysis
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How Financial Cos. Can Prep As NYDFS Cyber Changes Loom
Financial institutions supervised by the New York State Department of Financial Services can prepare for two critical cybersecurity requirements relating to multifactor authentication and asset inventories, effective Nov. 1, by conducting gap analyses and allocating resources to high-risk assets, among other steps, say attorneys at Pillsbury.
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How Courts May Interpret Data-Driven Healthcare Fraud Suits
As the U.S. Department of Justice and other agencies increasingly turn to data mining as an enforcement tool, courts will have to determine how far data alone can take a fraud case, and sound theory, clinical expertise and institutional context will play an important role, say Jaime Jones at Sidley and Andrée-Anne Fournier and Atang Gilika at Analysis Group.
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How Gov't Shutdown Will Affect Federal Health Agencies
Federal health agencies' contingency plans indicate that many major programs will remain insulated from disruption during the ongoing government shutdown, but significant policy proposals will likely be delayed and the Trump administration's emphasis on reduction-in-force plans distinguishes this shutdown from past lapses, says Miranda Franco at Holland & Knight.
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Assessing Legal, Regulatory Hurdles Of Healthcare Offshoring
The offshoring of administrative, nonclinical functions has emerged as an increasingly attractive option for healthcare companies seeking to reduce costs, but this presents challenges in navigating the web of state restrictions on the access or storage of patient data outside the U.S., say attorneys at McDermott.
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5 Years In, COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Landscape Is Shifting
As the government moves pandemic fraud enforcement from small-dollar individual prosecutions to high-value corporate cases, and billions of dollars remain unaccounted for, companies and defense attorneys must take steps now to prepare for the next five years of scrutiny, says attorney David Tarras.
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Courts Keep Upping Standing Ante In ERISA Healthcare Suits
As Article III standing becomes increasingly important in litigation brought by employer-sponsored health plan members under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, several recent cases suggest that courts are taking a more scrutinizing approach to the standing inquiry in both class actions and individual matters, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.
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Calif. Bill May Shake Up Healthcare Investment Landscape
If signed by the governor, newly passed California legislation would significantly expand the Office of Health Care Affordability's oversight of private equity and hedge fund investments in healthcare companies and management services organizations, and raise several questions about companies' data confidentiality and filing burdens, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.
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Pharma Copay Programs Raise Complex Economic Questions
The growing prevalence of copay accumulator and maximizer programs in the pharmaceutical industry is drawing increased scrutiny from patients, advocacy groups, lawmakers and courts, bringing complex questions about how financial responsibility for prescription drug purchases is determined and complicating damages assessments in litigation, say analysts at Analysis Group.
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When AI Denies, Insurance Bad Faith Claims May Follow
Two recent rulings from Minnesota and Kentucky federal courts signal that past statements about claims-handling practices may leave insurers using artificial intelligence programs in claims administration vulnerable to suits alleging bad faith and unfair trade practices, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.
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Health Insurance Kickback Cases Signal Greater Gov't Focus
A series of recent indictments by federal prosecutors in California suggests that the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act is gaining momentum as an enforcement tool against illegal inducement of patient referrals in the realm of commercial health insurance, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.
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FDA Transparency Plans Raise Investor Disclosure Red Flags
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recently announced intent to publish complete response letters for unapproved drugs and devices implicates certain investor disclosure requirements under securities laws, making it necessary for life sciences and biotech companies to adopt robust controls going forward, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.
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With Obligor Ruling, Ohio Justices Calm Lending Waters
A recent decision by the Ohio Supreme Court, affirming a fundamental principle that lenders have no duty to disclose material risks to obligors, provides clarity for commercial lending practices in Ohio and beyond, and offers a reminder of the risks presented by guarantee arrangements, says Carrie Brosius at Vorys.
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Federal AI Action Plan Marks A Shift For Health And Bio Fields
The Trump administration's recent artificial intelligence action plan significantly expands federal commitments across biomedical agencies, defining a pivotal moment for attorneys and others involved in research collaborations, managing regulatory compliance and AI-related intellectual property, says Mehrin Masud-Elias at Arnold & Porter.