In our December blog post, we discussed Texas v. United States, No. 19-10011 (5th Cir.), a Texas federal district court decision which struck down the entirety of the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”). The case is being appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, although a hearing date has not been scheduled. Last week, however, the United States Department of Justice stated in a court filing that the Department’s formal…

On December 27, 2018, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued an opinion that ruled against the Trump Administration in its plan to cut funding from the 340B Drug Pricing Program (“340B Program”).[1] Background As discussed in a November 17, 2018 posting on this blog, the reimbursement rates for the 340B Program were significantly reduced when the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) promulgated the “Medicare Program: Hospital Outpatient…

On Friday, December 14, 2018, a federal district court judge in Texas issued a widely anticipated opinion that struck down the entire Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) as unconstitutional. The judge ruled in favor of the plaintiffs by determining that the “individual mandate”[1] is no longer a tax and is therefore an unconstitutional exercise of congressional authority. The judge also found that the individual mandate was inseverable from the rest of the…

On December 3, 2018, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”), in collaboration with the Departments of the Treasury and Labor, the Federal Trade Commission, and several offices within the White House, produced a 119-page report outlining recommendations to reform the healthcare system. This report is in response to Executive Order 13813, in which President Donald Trump directed the Administration, to the extent consistent with law, to facilitate “the development and operation…

Tuesday’s midterm elections showed that healthcare is now a top issue among voters, according to exit polls. In an NBC News poll, healthcare was the top issue for a plurality of voters, ahead of the economy, immigration, and gun policy. [1] As voters made their voices heard, they also helped to solidify the position of the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) nationwide. While the country waits for final vote counts to be tallied, three key takeaways…

On September 7, 2018, Governor Jerry Brown signed into law Assembly Bill No. 595, A.B. 595, which amends the California Health and Safety Code to increase oversight by the California Department of Managed Health Care (“DMHC”) of health care service plan mergers and acquisitions (M&A). (See, Cal. Health & Safety Code §§1399.65 and 1399.66). The law allows DMHC to reject M&A transactions that DMHC determines will have an adverse impact on, among other things,…

On October 2, 2018, the CEOs of more than 700 hospitals and health systems representing healthcare providers in all fifty states sent a letter to Congress (the “Letter”) in a collective effort to protect the 340B Drug Pricing Program (the “340B Program”).[1] The CEOs expressed their view that recent governmental actions have reduced the reach of this vitally important program and that recently proposed legislation will undermine decades of bipartisan work to preserve access…