Update: The Government of Canada announced an agreement with the Yukon ($9.5 million over four years). The agreement text is available in the updated National pharmacare bilateral agreements resource....more
We are pleased to present our annual End of Year Plan Sponsor “To Do” Lists. This year, we present our “To Do” Lists in four separate SW Benefits Updates. This Part 1 covers year-end health and welfare plan issues. Parts 2,...more
Employer-sponsored health plans would be required to cover over-the-counter contraception, including condoms and emergency contraception, without a prescription and without cost sharing under newly proposed Affordable Care...more
With just a couple of weeks before election day, the Biden Administration announced on October 21, 2024, that it was issuing proposed rules designed, in part, to require health plans to cover over-the-counter contraception...more
Two recent decisions by the Minnesota Court of Appeals will impact Minnesota businesses facing potential discrimination claims under the Minnesota Human Rights Act (MHRA). In Andrea Anderson v. Aitkin Pharmacy Services, LLC,...more
Once again, the U.S. Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Treasury have issued guidance on the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) required coverage of contraception without cost sharing, clarifying the permitted...more
On January 22, the Departments of Labor, Treasury, and Health and Human Services (“Tri-Agencies”) issued a set of Frequently Asked Questions (“ACA FAQs Part 64”) clarifying the contraceptive-related services that plans and...more
On November 9, the State of Minnesota enacted Chapter 70--S.F.No. 2995, a large bill to amend certain sections of its current health care provisions. The bill covers extensive changes to healthcare provisions, from...more
On November 7, 2023, Ohio voters passed Issue 1, the Right to Reproductive Freedom with Protections for Health and Safety, to establish the constitutional right to certain reproductive decisions. The new right will be...more
During the October 11, 2023, Massachusetts Public Health Council Meeting, staff representing the Department of Public Health’s Drug Control Program introduced proposed revisions to 105 CMR 700.000: Implementation of M.G.L....more
On July 13, 2023, the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) approved the first daily contraceptive for use without a prescription. Opill® (norgestrel) tablet, .075 mg has been approved to prevent pregnancy in individuals of...more
In this installment of our post-Dobbs risk assessment series for hospitals and academic medical centers, we consider the ongoing impact of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization on delivery of clinical services beyond...more
Indiana follows a growing trend where states are expanding pharmacist prescriptive authority. On May 01, 2023, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb signed House Bill 1568, (the “Law”) which adds a new code section, Indiana Code...more
On January 30, 2023, the Departments of Health and Human Services, Treasury, and Labor (collectively “the Departments”) issued proposed rules entitled “Coverage of Certain Preventive Services under the Affordable Care Act”...more
The US Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and Treasury (the Departments) recently issued a proposed rule (the proposed rule) to eliminate a moral exemption to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) contraceptive mandate...more
The state of New Jersey recently passed a law that will allow pharmacists to provide self-administered hormonal contraceptives to patients without a prescription. The law, which was signed by Governor Philip Murphy on January...more
On September 29 and 30, 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom signed more than one hundred new pieces of legislation, several of which directly affect California employers. In addition to several California Division of...more
In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, California has taken significant steps to ensure continued ability to access abortion care in the state, and making additional funds available to...more
On July 28, 2022, in light of the United States Supreme Court’s recent decision overturning Roe v. Wade, the United States Department of Labor (DOL), in conjunction with the Departments of Health and Human Services (“HHS”)...more
Employers can’t say they weren’t warned. For the second time in six months, frequently asked question (FAQ) guidance from federal regulators is calling attention to the requirement that employer-sponsored health...more
From contraceptives to mesh implants, shampoos to pasta, New York state and federal courts issued decisions in 2020 which further shaped the landscape in the medical and life sciences legal world. To prepare the best product...more
Contraceptive Is Linked to Injuries and Deaths and Now Is the Subject of Lawsuits - Bayer, the company that manufactured and marketed the dangerous birth-control device Essure, is looking more and more like a bad actor as...more
Lawmaking in the COVID Era - The legislature adjourned Friday June 26 at 8:41 p.m. Sort of. After holding what was nearly the longest and certainly the strangest session in history – half of it remotely – the legislature has...more
Medical providers are sometimes faced with the difficult scenario of a minor (under 18 years of age) requesting medical or mental health treatment without a parent's or legal guardian's consent. This situation often arises in...more
On January 17, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments over the legality of the Affordable Care Act’s contraception mandate. This is the third case on the mandate to receive Supreme Court review....more