Last week’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act means that states will need to act quickly to develop health insurance exchanges as mandated by the law. From law firm McKenna Long: “With the ACA emerging relatively unscathed in the Supreme Court’s ruling, exchange planners have a… Read more »
Last week’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act provided insurance companies with a greater degree of certainty regarding health care reform than they have had since the act was first signed into law. Although legislative and legal challenges to the reforms continue (see updates by Patton Boggs and Littler),… Read more »
“Like insurance companies, institutional providers have devoted substantial effort and resources to preparing to comply with the Act’s requirements… Indeed, prior to the Court’s opinion, many institutional health care providers argued in favor of upholding the Act because the projected expansion of coverage to 30 million additional Americans would result in additional revenue for the… Read more »
For your reference, a roundup of recent legal commentary and analysis on issues related to doing business in and with China: China 20/20: Legal & Regulatory Developments (Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP): “On May 7, 2012, the Ministry of Commerce (“MOFCOM”) issued the Notice on Improving the Filing Administration of Foreign Invested Venture Capital Enterprises… Read more »
What are the issues that interest you the most? HIPAA compliance, human trafficking, and the JOBS Act, among other things. For your reference, here’s a look at the most-read Corporate Law Report posts during the month of May, 2012: 1. California Transparency in Supply Chains Act Takes Effect January 1, 2012 “The California Transparency in… Read more »
One of the key components of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is the establishment of health insurance exchanges in each state, intended to function as one-stop-shopping marketplaces where individuals and small businesses can select from affordable health care options. To participate, insurers must offer qualified health plans that meet minimum standards of coverage… Read more »
Earlier this month, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the conviction of Huping Zhou, a former employee of the UCLA Health System, for illegally accessing protected health information in violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The decision provides an important clarification of HIPAA rules for health care providers, their employees,… Read more »
Federal regulators are stepping up their enforcement of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), as a recent $100,000 fine levied on Phoenix Cardiac Services demonstrates. From law firm Mintz Levin: “The settlement reaffirms OCR’s commitment to enforcing the Privacy and Security Rules, and its willingness to sanction covered entities for HIPAA violations.” (The… Read more »
Earlier this month, the federal Medicare Fraud Strike Force charged more than 100 people for their roles in an alleged $452 million false billing scheme. It was an important victory for authorities, and reflects the Obama administration’s increased efforts to combat fraud in the Medicare program. The latest arrests are part of broader effort to… Read more »
“According to Chairman Jon Leibowitz, the FTC will continue to scrutinize hospital mergers that could limit patient choice… Based on Chairman Leibowitz’s comments, aggressive and resource-intensive challenges to hospital mergers … are likely to continue.” (Healthcare Tops the Agenda of U.S. Antitrust Enforcers by Morgan Lewis) Hospital mergers are on the rise, and the Federal… Read more »
For your reference, a roundup of recent Chinese legal news and developments of interest to multinationals active in the country: China’s Parliament Adopts Revision to Criminal Procedure Law (Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP) “On March 14, 2012, the fifth session of the National People’s Congress adopted the latest revision to China’s Criminal Procedure Law… Read more »
In November 2009, 57 unencrypted computer hard discs containing protected health information of more than one million people were stolen from a storage locker leased by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee (BCBST). Recently, the Department of Health and Human Services entered into a $1.5 million settlement with BCBST over privacy and security violations as… Read more »
From Is that Legal?: Later this month, the US Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services v. Florida, the lawsuit chosen to give the Court an opportunity to rule on the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Here are three interesting… Read on: Obama Health… Read more »
