Policy & Compliance

  • June 29, 2026

    Feds Sue Mich., Other States For Not Sharing SNAP Records

    The U.S. Department of Justice is asking federal courts to force Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota and Pennsylvania to turn over their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program applicant data that the Trump administration claims it needs to uncover billions of dollars in overpayments and fraud.

  • June 29, 2026

    26 States Sue To Nix Medicaid Work Rule For Medically Frail

    More than two dozen states sued the Trump administration Monday in Massachusetts federal court in a bid to strike down new Medicaid work requirements for certain enrollees, saying the administration did not consider the consequences the requirements would have on vulnerable Medicaid enrollees.

  • June 29, 2026

    AstraZeneca To Pay $34M In Texas Kickbacks Settlement

    AstraZeneca has agreed to pay nearly $34 million to the state of Texas to put to rest allegations the pharmaceutical company gave kickbacks to providers for prescribing its drugs, many of which were covered by the Lone Star State's Medicaid program, according to an announcement made Monday.

  • June 29, 2026

    Hospital That Halted Gender Care Must Show Cause

    A Colorado state court judge issued a citation on Friday to Children's Hospital Colorado ordering it to show cause for why the hospital refuses to provide gender-affirming care to patients in violation of a preliminary injunction order issued by the Colorado Supreme Court. 

  • June 29, 2026

    Insurers Seek NJ Mass Tort For No Surprises Act Suits

    Five of the largest health insurers in the Garden State have asked the New Jersey Supreme Court to designate 160 pending cases seeking the enforcement of alleged independent dispute resolution payment determinations issued under the federal No Surprises Act as multicounty litigation, according to a notice to the Bar Association.

  • June 29, 2026

    8th Circ. Backs Tossing Ark. Worker's Pharmacy Network Suit

    The Eighth Circuit on Monday turned down an employee health plan participant's bid to revive a proposed class action alleging CVS Caremark unjustly enriched itself by failing to comply with Arkansas laws on pharmacy network adequacy, holding a lower court didn't err in tossing the dispute.

  • June 29, 2026

    Supreme Court To Review Wash. Youth Gender Care Law

    The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a challenge to Washington state's law permitting shelters not to notify the parents of runaway teens who seek gender-affirming treatment, reviving a lawsuit that a Ninth Circuit panel unanimously shot down after a district judge found the plaintiffs could only show speculative injury.

  • June 29, 2026

    Justices Skip New York Health Workers' Fight Over Vax Rule

    The U.S. Supreme Court refused Monday to take up religious healthcare workers' challenge to a pandemic-era New York state policy requiring healthcare providers to make their employees get vaccinated against COVID-19, drawing a dissent from Justices Neil Gorsuch, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito.

  • June 26, 2026

    Conn. Provider Must Share Takeover Data After $49M Verdict

    A Connecticut state court has ordered Westchester Medical Group PC to produce corporate takeover documents and leadership information as the court contemplates the provider's bid to set aside a $49 million jury verdict over claims its staff failed to diagnose a woman with cervical cancer.

  • June 26, 2026

    En Banc 4th Circ. Splits Over Stay Of DOD HIV Enlistment Ban

    The Fourth Circuit voted en banc Thursday to grant the federal government's bid to pause a lower court's permanent injunction blocking its policies excluding HIV-positive individuals from enlisting in the military, with a dissenting appellate judge writing that "the government is playing games!"

  • June 26, 2026

    DC Circ. Backs CMS In Medicare Advantage Rating Fight

    A D.C. Circuit panel on Friday upheld the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' calculation of a Louisiana insurer's Medicare Advantage star rating, rejecting the insurer's claims that the agency unlawfully included data from a contract that had been folded into another one.

  • June 26, 2026

    5 ERISA Cases To Keep An Eye On In The Second Half Of 2026

    A U.S. Supreme Court challenge to Intel Corp.'s 401(k) investment lineup tops the list of cases benefits attorneys will be watching this summer and fall, though appeals involving health plan tobacco fees, plan forfeiture spending and a potential Eleventh Circuit precedent shift are also top of mind. Here, Law360 looks at five ERISA cases that attorneys should have on their radar as 2026 rolls on.

  • June 26, 2026

    High Court To Issue Big Decisions In Term's Final Days

    As the U.S. Supreme Court enters the final days of its term, the justices still have several major decisions to issue, including some concerning birthright citizenship, the president's power to remove independent agency officials, transgender athletes and election rules. 

  • June 25, 2026

    Sandoz Still Can't Escape Generics Claims From GM, Others

    A Pennsylvania federal judge on Thursday declined to rethink her decision forcing Sandoz's Swiss parent company to face generic-drug price-fixing claims from major employers like American Airlines Inc. and General Motors LLC, saying the pharmaceutical company "has no new evidence" backing up its argument that the court lacks personal jurisdiction.

  • June 25, 2026

    Texas Faces Tough Questions In Tylenol Autism Appeal

    A Texas appellate court seemed skeptical Thursday of an argument that the parent entities of the company that sells Tylenol should have to defend claims that the pain reliever causes autism, suggesting that the companies don't have enough ties to Texas.

  • June 25, 2026

    Netflix Urges Justices Not To Disturb 9th Circ. ERISA Docs Ruling

    Netflix urged the U.S. Supreme Court Thursday not to take up a petition from an employee health plan participant who alleged the company failed to provide him access to plan documents in violation of federal benefits law, arguing the Ninth Circuit's ruling in the case should remain in place.

  • June 25, 2026

    Wash. Therapist Seeks Bar On 'Conversion Therapy' Ban

    A Washington therapist has urged a federal court to bar the state from enforcing its ban on what is commonly known as conversion therapy, arguing that a U.S. Supreme Court decision this year has "vindicated" his right to provide counseling targeted by the ban.

  • June 25, 2026

    Novo Nordisk Gets 401(k) Investment Suit Narrowed

    A New Jersey federal judge dismissed allegations accusing Novo Nordisk of unlawfully keeping underperforming investment options in its employee 401(k) plan, handing the pharmaceutical company a partial win by concluding workers hadn't identified comparable funds that performed significantly better.

  • June 24, 2026

    NY Judge Halts DOJ Bid For Trans Youth Medical Records

    A New York federal judge Wednesday barred the U.S. Department of Justice from seeking medical records of transgender patients who received gender-affirming care as minors in the wake of a grand jury subpoena to NYU Langone Health System, saying the government's investigation doesn't outweigh the patients' privacy interests.

  • June 24, 2026

    Delta Dental Says Wash. Antitrust Suit Echoes Faulty Claims

    Delta Dental of Washington said Tuesday an Evergreen State dentist targeting the dental insurer in a proposed antitrust class action has excluded its national affiliates from the case to "escape from a federal court's rejection of identical arguments" that the companies conspired to stifle insurer competition and suppress reimbursement rates.

  • June 24, 2026

    Wholesalers Say Novo Can't Duck GLP-1 Antitrust Suits

    Drug buyers want a New York federal judge to preserve proposed class claims accusing Novo Nordisk of paying Teva to delay generic competition with its Victoza GLP-1 drug, arguing that whatever the underlying deal was, no generic version materialized when it could have.  

  • June 24, 2026

    Doc's Defamation Claim Against Cigna Barred By ERISA

    In a precedential opinion dealing with an issue of first impression, the Third Circuit on Wednesday held that the Employee Retirement Income Security Act preempts a doctor's defamation claim against Cigna because the statements stemmed from the administration of his patients' health plans.

  • June 24, 2026

    11th Circ. Urged To Toss Convictions In $1.4B Hospital Fraud

    Two brothers convicted in a $1.4 billion scheme to bill insurers inflated rates for drug tests told the Eleventh Circuit on Wednesday that there was insufficient evidence to support their convictions and that they should have been allowed an evidentiary hearing after potential juror misconduct emerged following the trial.

  • June 24, 2026

    3rd Circ. Extends Lenient Retaliation Test To ADA, FMLA Suits

    The Third Circuit declared Wednesday that the long-standing, worker-friendly standard used to evaluate Title VII retaliation claims also applies to analogue allegations under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act, kickstarting a former Marine's suit over a leaner-than-expected bonus and pay raise.

  • June 24, 2026

    UnitedHealthcare Turns Blame On MassHealth In Fraud Case

    UnitedHealthcare said it plans to defend itself against accusations that it overcharged Massachusetts for senior care, claiming the state's Medicaid program was not properly administered as it moved the case to federal court. 

Expert Analysis

  • 3rd Circ. Decision Sheds Light On BIPA Bank Exemption

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    The Third Circuit's recent decision in McGoveran v. Amazon illuminates how courts are extending the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act's financial institution carveout beyond banks and insurers to technology vendors and other businesses handling biometric data, a defendant-friendly shift that still casts uncertainty around BIPA's enforcement, say attorneys at Dorsey & Whitney.

  • Data Reveals Pivot In Feds' Financial Fraud Priorities

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    Recent Justice Department data shows fraud prosecutions fell to their lowest rate in a decade in 2025, illustrating a move away from traditional financial cases and toward a targeted mix of healthcare, government program, consumer and sanctions matters, say Paul Hinton and Adrienna Huffman at The Brattle Group.

  • New Timeline For Benefits Cases May Increase FCA Litigation

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    Recent reforms designed to speed enforcers’ intervention decisions in False Claims Act suits involving state-administered benefits will likely encourage more qui tam relators to litigate cases without the government’s imprimatur, and increase defendants’ discovery burdens, defense costs and business disruptions, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • FTC's Clinical Trial Requirement Threatens Food Claim Rules

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    The Federal Trade Commission's general requirement for randomized controlled trials for most health-benefit claims, recently embraced by the National Advertising Review Board, lacks legal basis and endangers the existing statutory framework Congress created for marketing food and dietary supplements versus drugs, say attorneys at Keller & Heckman.

  • HHS Enforcement Restructuring Signals Compliance Risks

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    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' recent restructuring of its Office for Civil Rights suggests that, while Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act enforcement remains central, its priorities have expanded to encompass civil rights, conscience and religious freedom, and data and cybersecurity issues, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • AG Watch: Oregon's Strategic Civil Enforcement Approach

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    Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield’s recent antitrust litigation activity and proposed staffing increase are the latest in a series of structural and policy changes that signal that the state Department of Justice is taking a more aggressive approach to civil enforcement, says Keturah Taylor at Cozen O'Connor.

  • A Decade Later, Escobar Is Still Shaping FCA Cases

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision 10 years ago in Universal Health Services v. U.S. ex rel. Escobar changed the way in which lower courts evaluate False Claims Act cases — and the ruling remains vital in nearly every FCA case filed today, say attorneys at Bradley Arant.

  • How FCA, FCPA Risks Are Shifting As Feds Pull Back

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    As the federal government continues its retreat from white collar enforcement, companies should expect False Claims Act risk to grow through private whistleblower suits and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act scrutiny to shift toward foreign prosecutors, requiring more adaptability as accountability becomes less centralized, says Temidayo Aganga-Williams at Selendy Gay.

  • Trump Admin's Agency Records Purge Tests Judicial Notice

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    While courts commonly take judicial notice of data in government websites and reports, the Trump administration's recent modification or wholesale deletion of these sources means that litigants must look elsewhere to support trial admission of this information, says Jon Gryskiewicz at Lewis Baach.

  • West Coast Health Cos. Must Brace For Federal Enforcement

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    In light of the U.S. Department of Justice's newly established West Coast strike force targeting healthcare fraud across Northern California, Arizona and Nevada, health organizations will need to prioritize knowledge, vigilance and operational discipline to reduce exposure from potentially parallel criminal and civil investigations, says Michael Beckwith at Dickinson Wright.

  • High Court's Hikma Decision Reshapes 'Skinny Label' Suits

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Hikma v. Amarin marks a significant victory for generic drug manufacturers, but rather than putting an end to so-called skinny label inducement claims, it narrows and refocuses them, say attorneys at Sterne Kessler.

  • Turning To The Courts When PBM Reform Falls Short

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    The effectiveness of state laws intended to regulate pharmacy benefit managers remains uncertain, but litigation — utilizing tried-and-true theories like breach of contract and fair dealing — offers another mechanism through which stakeholders may seek relief from PBMs, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

  • High Court's Abortion Pill Stay Reinforces Appellate Principles

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent order in Danco Laboratories v. Louisiana, staying a Fifth Circuit ruling that reinstated an in-person requirement for dispensing the abortion medicine mifepristone, should be seen not as a definitive ruling on reproductive rights, but as an affirmation of a more disciplined jurisdictional reality, says Daniel Nardo at Nardo & Associates.